Huntington Seniors Win Terian Fine Arts Scholarships
The Huntington High School art program glowed even brighter last week when seniors Richard Gray and David Lillienstein won prestigious Peter Terian Fine Arts Scholarships following a rugged selection process.
Mr. Gray earned one of five first prizes and a $5,000 scholarship for his "Hall Pass" dress design. Mr. Lillienstein captured one of five second prizes and a $1,000 scholarship for his stop motion video, "Walk Through Hell." Several hundred young artists filed applications and participated in the competition.
"This is a splendid achievement by these young men," Huntington Superintendent John J. Finello said. "Long Island high schools are filled with some of the best young artists in the country. So, it's a real accomplishment to win awards in such a highly competition and well-regarded scholarship competition."
The scholarships were presented at Rallye BMW in Westbury. Mr. Terian was the founder of Rallye Auto Group. Mr. Gray is one of the top Huntington fashion students and Mr. Lillienstein is rapidly becoming known as a promising young filmmaker.
Mr. Lillienstein, who is president of Huntington's video club, is headed to Ithaca College in the fall. He plans to major in cinema and photography in Ithaca's Roy H. Park School. Mr. Gray has been accepted in Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, one of the nation's top fashion schools. He will study women's apparel there.
"It was such a huge honor to have been able to win such an amazing award and be praised by the professional group over at the Terian Foundation," Mr. Gray said. "It was the first year a Huntington High School student has won this scholarship so that was very cool to know! It's so important to put a lot of effort into everything you do and then preserve it the best you can because you never know when it could be needed in the future."
Juliana Terian Gilbert founded the Peter Terian Fine Arts Scholarship in 2004 "to support the development and creative individuality of college-bound students in pursuit of degrees in selected fine arts fields," according to the Terian Foundation website. "By establishing this scholarship, Mrs. Terian Gilbert hopes to encourage students in their artistic endeavors, instilling in them the importance of original vision, creative diversity and their continued attention to the culture of their world."
The Terian Foundation has given away more than $140,000 in grants since it was founded, "providing our scholars with the tools they need for a successful future," according to the group's website.