Brett Smith and Erica Case, Ivy Tech Community College Visual Communication students, have been named recipients of the Douglas E. Blankenship Scholarship for Photography. Smith received a $500 award, which he will apply toward lighting equipment; he will graduate with an Associate of Science in Visual Communications in May of 2010 and plans to become a professional portrait photographer.
Case received a $250 award, which she plans to use to purchase a new camera. She will graduate with an Associate of Science in Visual Communications in May of this year and also plans to become a professional photographer, focusing on photo editing.
The Douglas E. Blankenship Scholarship for Photography is an endowed scholarship established by Laurey Blankenship Welbourne, a graduate of the Ivy Tech Graphic Design Program, as a memorial to her late husband and former photography student, Douglas E. Blankenship. Blankenship died of mesothelioma in 2002, before being able to graduate. The scholarship was created to help other students achieve their dream of becoming a professional photographer.
Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 120,000 students enrolled annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.