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The Young Lawyers Division announced Qingyi Tan as the first-place winner and Derek Rhodes as runner up for its 2020 Create Your Movement Scholarship.
South Carolina high school juniors and seniors with plans to enroll in post-secondary education were asked to submit essays, artwork and other creative projects that expressed what they think young people should focus on in the 2020 election. The prompt asked students to create and describe what their political movement would be, why it’s important and what candidates need to know.
Erica Lybrand, co-chair of the Create Your Movement Scholarship committee, said she and other committee members were impressed with the quality of the submissions.
“Through art, music, speeches, monologues, and posters, we were overwhelmed by the diversity in creativity of each entry,” she said. “As our future leaders, understanding the significance of being politically well-rounded and engaged in an election is paramount. Selecting only two winners was a true challenge.”
Qingyi recently graduated from Wilson High School in Florence and is headed to Purdue University in Indiana in the fall. She drew a portrait of a woman, with a face of different races stitched together to represent the repairing of society. The winning entry earned her $2,000 to go towards college expenses.
“If I could lead a movement, it would be to push for embracing diversity and stripping away stereotypes,” Qingyi’s scholarship statement reads. “In this drawing and collage, my goal is to convey the universal message that looking past stereotypes and accepting others for who they are can connect us.”
An alumni of Strom Thurmond High School in Edgefield, Derek is attending Furman University this fall and received $1,000 in scholarship funds. He submitted sheet music and an audio file of his piece A Trio in Thought.
Congratulations, Qingyi and Derek, and best of luck on your next adventure.