The Seneca County Arts Council names two high school seniors this year for a $500 college scholarship each. Normally, one scholarship is awarded every year. This year, due to quality of work, the council has decided to award Sophia Wesselhoff of South Seneca High School and Kyle James of Mynderse Academy.
South Seneca High School Senior, Sophia Wesselhoff, will attend Rochester Institute of Technology in the field of Photographic Arts and Sciences with a minor in Music Technology. Sophia is a member of the National Honor Society and has a 95+ GPA. Sophia has the Performing Arts Scholarship, for guitar, to Rochester Institute of Technology. She plays electric guitar and is a rhythm guitarist for a local group. Sophia has won three gold key, three silver key and five honorable mentions for Western New York Scholastic Art Awards and was a silver medal winner at the national level. Over her high school career, she has received numerous art, photography, sports and academic awards. Sophia has also been on the high honor roll every marking period and has received the President’s Award for Excellence every year. She was also active in extracurricular activities and community service.
Mynderse Academy senior, Kyle James will be attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City majoring in Fine Arts. Kyle has been interested in art since the sixth grade where he challenged himself to draw every day for a year. In the following years, that pace slowed down and he became more focused on expression and conceptual pieces. When Kyle was a freshman, he won the congressional art competition and his drawing was displayed in the United States Capital. His work has been displayed in multiple galleries, twice at IT and one at Main Street Arts in Clifton Springs. Kyle has been working with the National Women's Hall of Fame since 2021. He is doing a series of portraits of the inductees that the hall sells in their gift shop. Kyle has had his own Etsy store since 2018, selling prints and stickers and recently, handmade clothing.
The Seneca County Arts Council (SCAC) supports the arts though its scholarship program and through its Artworks Gallery. The Gallery provides a venue to display the art, photography and crafts of the many talented local artisans. The Gallery also provides a myriad of workshops for the beginner to the advanced artist and crafter. For more information about SCAC and Artworks Gallery visit www.artsinseneca.org.
