Amanda Choong named 2022-23 Mary Colleen Heil Presidential Scholarship winner

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Monday, February 13th, 2023

Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is pleased to announce that Amanda Choong of Maryland, a junior Graphic Design major, has been selected as the 2022-23 recipient of the Mary Colleen Heil Presidential Scholarship.

Amanda Choong

“I would describe Amanda as passionate about design,” says Graphic Design/Illustration Prof. Maria Cummings-Miller. “She strives for excellence in the classroom and is held in high regard by her peers. Her natural talent has continually grown over the last three years and she continues to challenge herself with her design choices.”

“I like Graphic Design because it’s a whole umbrella of things: fine art, photography, animation, typography … you learn so many different things,” says Choong. Her high school teacher referred her to PCA&D, noting that other students from her school and career tech center had successfully transitioned to the College. “I looked at the art and was like, I could fit in here,” Choong says.

“This is an amazing opportunity, and I’m very grateful,” Choong says about the award. “I was so excited to get the email” that she’d been selected, ‘and it’s definitely made me more confident to go to school with less financial worry. I’m so happy there’s something like this at PCA&D.”

The Mary Colleen Heil Presidential Scholarship was established by the Board of Trustees of Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in 2018 to honor President Emeritus Mary Colleen Heil in recognition of her more than 25 years of leadership and dedication to the College.

The scholarship is awarded annually to an exceptional rising junior student who has been identified by the Dean of Faculty in consultation with the Department Chairs.