Scholarship Will Support Serrano's Study of Economics in Business School

Monday, March 26, 2012

The NABE Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), and Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, jointly announced that Amy Serrano has won the 2011 NABE Foundation Americans for the Arts Scholarship Award on Monday, March 26 during a luncheon at the NABE Policy Conference in Arlington, VA.

Serrano will receive an award in the amount of $5,000 to support the study and application of economics in her graduate studies and professional career. She holds a bachelor's degree in music from Point Loma Nazarene University and will pursue her Master of Business Administration at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) starting this fall. Upon graduation, she intends to establish a Bilingual Music Conservatory in Southern California.

An accomplished musician, Serrano has studied violin for 19 years and voice and piano for 4 years. At just 15 years of age, she started her own violin music studio, which she ran throughout her high school and undergraduate years and where she ultimately taught 25 private students. She was the recipient of PLNU's Music Scholarship from 2007-2011, and throughout her undergraduate career she was a member of the Point Loma String Project—a real-life teaching laboratory where PLNU string students are trained as effective string teachers and San Diego children are trained as proficient string players. She has also performed as a guest player in the Trujillo Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.

"Awarding the NABE-AFTA scholarship has not only proven an important investment in maintaining the out-of-the box creative thinking we need at a critical time in our economic history, but it has brought people into higher levels of education who might not have had access otherwise. Our applicants must not only demonstrate excellence but need as well, something that provides returns not only to the NABE Foundation, but society as a whole," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial and a NABE Foundation Board member. "This is one of a myriad of ways that the NABE Foundation is both enhancing the credibility and quality of economic analysis. It's about investing in human capital, plain and simple."

"The reality of life in the 21st century is that the skills associated with artistic practices—creative thinking, self-discipline, collaboration and innovation—are vital to succeeding in a rapidly changing global economy," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "It's a pleasure to partner with the NABE Foundation for the third year to recognize student achievement in both the arts and economics. These awards reflect a fundamental belief that the arts are a key component in helping to prepare students to exceed, and indeed thrive, in the workplace and society of the future."

The NABE Foundation Americans for the Arts Scholarship Award was established in 2008 to encourage the integration of the arts into the economic education process. Recipients of the scholarship must come from economically disadvantaged households and have attended public school. Successful candidates demonstrate long-term participation in the study of, creation in and/or performance in one or more art forms, including dance, music, theatre, literary, visual/media arts; excel academically; and have formally declared the intent to study economics for policy purposes, or in applications in the private and public sectors. The scholarship recipients are selected following a competitive review process which begins with a pre-screening of applicants by Americans for the Arts, followed by a review of finalists by a sub-committee, and ratification of recipients by the NABE Foundation Board.

The National Association for Business Economics is the largest international association of applied economists, strategists, academics, and policy-makers committed to the application of economics in decision-making in the world. The NABE Foundation is supported by NABE members to provide scholarships, education, and other efforts to build the economic profession.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

Contact:
Catherine Brandt
Americans for the Arts
[email protected]
202-712-2054

Melissa Golding
National Association for Business Economics
[email protected]
571-236-2820