Academic All-American Awards
Congratulations to our 2024 Academic All-American Award and Scholarship Recipients
The number and standard of scholarship entries this year was higher than ever. Our judges had a really tough decision and in the end they decided to award three runner-up scholarships in addition to our five major scholarships.
Congratulations to these wonderful young athletes and to all who entered.
USA IDA Teachers Scholarship Open to 5th, 6th and 7th Grade
Ella Stanzione
Susan E Rex Memorial Scholarship for a Graduating 8th Grader
Aoife Ben
Honorable Mention: Abigail Hackett
Helping Hearts Scholarship Open to Dancers in 9th, 10th, 11th Grade
Hailey Sullivan
Honorable Mentions: Faythe Madison, Grace McNerney
USA IDA Teachers Scholarship for a High School Senior
Magnolia Butler
Exceptional Seana Scholarship Open to College Competitive Dancers
Keilani Collins
——-
The Award is open to students in Grades 5-Seniors in college. To qualify for an Award, the dancer must have maintained a 90 or above average for the academic year of 2023-24 or 3.5 or higher GPA for College students. Students must have competed in a minimum number of USA IDA branch feiseanna to be considered competitive - minimum 2 for grades level and college dancers, and minimum 3 for pre-open and open.
In addition to the Academic All-American Award certificates for dancers who qualify, there are five monetary scholarships available - one college, one high school senior, one 8th grader, one for middle school (5th, 6th, 7th) and one for high school (9th, 10th, 11th). In order to apply for the scholarship, dancers must meet the criteria for the Academic All-American Award as well as complete and submit an essay.
How are the scholarships decided?
The essays are evaluated by our expert panel of academics and educators. It is a combination of assessing how well the question was addressed, original thought, clarity of thought, essay flow, spelling, and grammar.
How many scholarships are there?
In 2024 we were proud to award scholarships in five categories:
5th, 6th, and 7th Grade; Graduating 8th Grader; 9th, 10th, and 11th Grade;
High School Senior; and Competitive Dancers in College
EXCEPTIONAL SEANA SCHOLARSHIP
Seana Isaac is a former champion dancer from the O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish dance. She competed all the way through her senior year of high school. Seana was a very dedicated and hardworking young woman not only in the studio but also at school. She attended Thomas Jefferson University to become a Physician Assistant. Unfortunately, as she was about to enter her final year at Thomas Jefferson, she was diagnosed with a rare pediatric brain cancer, Diffuse Midline Glioma of the pons. As tragic as this news was to her and her family, she gets up and fights for her life every day, looking for ways to be positive even in the face of something so scary. She continues to volunteer time at the studio each week, sharing her passion for dance with others. She is co-director of the 2024 recital and is determined to make it the best OGQ recital to date. She is also passionate about educating the world about her diagnosis.
SUSAN E REX MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR A GRADUATING 8TH GRADER
Susan E. Rex was known for her remarkable kindness, quick wit, and adventurous spirit. She died on August 11, 2022, at the age of 49 of colon cancer.
Although she did not receive a college education, she always stressed the importance of asking questions and constantly learning. She passed this down to her niece, Katherine Bortz, TCRG, through her love of books and gentle pushing toward new experiences. She stressed the importance of asking questions and led by example in showing that you can learn about anything with an open mind. In the way she chose to live life, she taught Katherine that you are never defined by just “one thing,” and that the combination of an inquisitive nature and reflection can make life incredible while also helping others shine. Katherine hopes to give back an ounce of what Susan gave to her through this scholarship and getting dancers to think about the “bigger picture” of dance.