Eleven students studying in West Virginia University’s College of Creative Arts have been awarded scholarships from the Valerie Canady Charitable Trust Foundation. This is one of the most prestigious awards given in the college.

The scholarships are named for Valerie Canady, a Morgantown native and WVU summa cum laude graduate, who was among the 270 people who died in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in Dec. 1988.

Valerie Canady, who worked for H.J. Heinz Co. in the London office, was, in addition to being a successful businesswoman, an accomplished linguist and artist in different media of expression, especially as a pianist.

Loulie and William Canady, Valerie’s parents and long-time residents of the Morgantown community, present the awards annually. Loulie Canady is a long-time supporter of the WVU Division of Music and Dr. William Canady is professor emeritus of the Department of Biochemistry in the WVU School of Medicine. The Canadys are also the major patrons of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performances at WVU—a series that is named in memory of Valerie.

“The Canadys are among the most courageous people I know,” said Dean Bernie Schultz of WVU’s College of Creative Arts. “They have turned a most tragic event into an opportunity to provide for the future of these outstanding students, who will be ambassadors for the arts throughout the world. Their foresight and generosity of soul inspires all of us.”

The students are: Ju Young Lee, a senior piano performance major, originally from Korea and now Germantown, Md.; Maria Wang, a junior cello performance major from Taiwan; Cynthia Ortiz-Bartley of Greensburg, Pa., a doctoral student who is in her second year as a graduate student and is studying for a doctoral degree in vocal performance and pedagogy; Joyce Chiao Su Wang, of Hattieville, Belize, who earned her bachelor’s degree in music education from WVU in 2008 and graduated in December 2010 with a master’s degree in piano pedagogy; Maria Crystalia of Malaysia, who is studying for a doctorate in piano performance; Onpavee “Kune” Nitisingkarin, a native of Thailand, who is studying for a doctorate in piano performance; Tzu-Nung “Angel” Lin, a native of Taipei, Taiwan, is currently studying for a doctorate in piano performance; Sarah “Roxy” Hauserman, of Towson, Md., who is a studying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting and will graduate in May 2011; Daniela Londono-Bernal, a transfer student from Colombia who is currently a sophomore in the Intermedia and Photography program; Codi Renee Lamb, a native of Philippi, W.Va., who is studying for a bachelor’s degree in art history; and Vlad Constantin Basarab, originally from Romania, who is studying for an MFA in the areas of multimedia, sculpture, performance and video.

-WVU-

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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