STUDENT SUCCESS STORY
Who needs luck?
Curtis Abbott - The Art Institute of Pittsburgh
Recipient of the 2005 Imagine America high school scholarship and the 2006 Imagine America II grant.
At age 20, Curtis Abbott has shown the dedication it takes to achieve career goals and succeed in life. At his first high school, Curtis created a prerecorded news broadcast program. Then in 2004, he furthered his broadcasting ideas at Hayes High School in Delaware, Ohio. After writing a proposal and then speaking with his principal and the school board about his idea for a live news broadcast, Curtis was awarded a $5,000 grant for equipment for the show. With this, he started WBHS Live, a daily live news broadcast over closed-circuit television that informed Hayes students of upcoming activities, lunch menus and current events.
If that is not impressive enough, Curtis recently wrapped up his first feature film, Better Luck Yesterday, at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. As the executive producer of the film, Curtis played a key role in choosing the script and delegating positions. Curtis raised $5,000 for the film in the preproduction phase. Curtis and the crew shot the film in only 23 days. After postproduction wraps, Better Luck Yesterday will be submitted to various film festivals. To find out more about his movie, visit www.betterluckyesterday.com.
Curtis was nominated for the 2006 Imagine America II grant by Brandi Weber, Assistant Admissions Director at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
"Curtis is a really good example of the perfect student. He really has it together in all aspects of his life," Weber said.
The Imagine America II award helps assist students who are currently attending a participating Imagine America career college and is a cash grant funded by our corporate sponsors, such as The Sallie Mae Fund, EMB Medical Services and Lockheed Martin.
After filling out his FAFSA, Curtis was disappointed to learn that the only financial aid available to him was private loans. Curtis said, "There was not a lot of funding for me out there, so the Imagine America scholarships have created a great opportunity for me."
Currently working toward a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Production at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Curtis plans to graduate in fall 2008. Cutting-edge equipment and the availability of it to students is one of the reasons he chose The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Right now his career choices are numerous: He can make movies, commercials, music videos or even work on TV news. "The Art Institute was absolutely the right choice for me," Curtis said.
If you would like to share the success story of an Imagine America scholarship recipient with us, send us an e-mail at: IANewsletter@career.org.