The Festival of Arts is a popular Laguna Beach tourist attraction. Known mainly for its art  exhibitions, the Festival of Arts has also provided annual scholarships to LBHS students. Established in 1957, the Festival of Arts Scholarship Program provides financial aid to Laguna Beach High Schools students who plan to pursue the field of arts, and since its inception, the Festival has awarded over $3 million in college scholarships.

“The Festival awards scholarships in Film, Visual Arts, Writing and Performing Arts,” said Accounting Assistant/Scholarship Coordinator, Michelle Reindl. “The Festival usually awards around 15 scholarships per year, mostly to Laguna Beach High School students.”  

LBHS has a very good relationship with the Festival of the Arts as a result of the successful art programs LBHS offers.

“If you are an art student in Laguna Beach, there are a multitude of scholarships to apply to because we are considered an artist community,” said Lynn Gregory. “It’s a way for these artists [the FOA] to give back to our students because they believe that this is a honorable career path to go into and they want to help them out.”

Students must present an application and interview, or in some cases audition, to be considered for an award. The minimum GPA for all applicants is 2.5 (9-12 non-weighted).  An application has to be filled out with the required resume, school transcripts, an optional letter of recommendation, a letter to the scholarship committee, a signed agreement and work samples (depending on the area the student is applying to).  The deadline for the application is March 9, 2018 and an interview will be scheduled shortly after with a later time and date.

Many students are very excited for the opportunity to receive a FOA scholarship.

“I am aiming for scholarships in instrumentation and composition,” said senior and band member Matt Ghere. “I hope to continue my study of music in college, and I hope that I will be awarded these scholarships, and I can continue my love of music.”  

With the abundance of local talent, the committee’s main aim is to launch young artists on careers to success.

“I think that it is really important to recognize everyone’s passion, whether it be in the arts or not. I feel like in today’s society, we as artists are overlooked quite often, but at the end of the day, artists and those pursuing a career in the arts deserve to be recognized for adding creativity to the world,” said senior Olivia Eidt. “I am applying for many scholarships, one of which, is the Festival of the Arts scholarships for visual arts. This is an incredible scholarship, not just because of the award amount, but also because it is renewable for all four years of college.”

FOA scholarships are renewable to any recipients after they have graduated high school.

“If selected to receive a scholarship, the student can apply each year to renew their scholarship for up to four awards during the five years immediately following high school graduation,” said Reindl.   

The committee recommends that students of various talents pursue scholarships in all areas that apply. There are expected to be many applicants this year.

“Based on our workshop at the high school and feedback during interviews, students seem very excited about the opportunity to win a Festival scholarship,” said Reindl.