LCCC Honors Students for Fine Art and Academics

Alina Dewindt | Editor

Lehigh Carbon Community College and the Honors Program recently hosted a showcase displaying students’ work throughout the year in the "Arts and Scholars Showcase" on April 17.

"The purpose of this showcase is to show the effort that our students put into their work, either in their academic or creative elements," said Jeremy Siedt, Fine Arts Professor and Art Gallery Coordinator. "It’s to create a platform for the whole college and community to see the students’ accomplishments, talents, and intellect, to show appreciation for them, and to let them know that their work is worth something and their hard efforts are appreciated."

Prior to her passing in September 2022, Susan Fread served as the Chair of the Honors Council and helped oversee the program and the showcase since 2004.

The honors and arts students who participated in the showcase were asked to submit work they'd done either in the fall or spring semesters. The showcase included diverse and unique works by students, ranging from paintings, drawings, speeches, essays, photographs, and academic posters from their classes.

Although the students put a lot of effort into their projects for the showcase, it taught them a little something about themselves.

"This showcase has taught me all about presentations," said Madison Lyn, a TV/Film Honors student. "Learning how to present yourself and your work professionally in an event like this has given me all of these important life skills for the future and creates much more of a difference in a classroom setting."

That’s not all. In Fread’s honor, the showcase has created the "Susan Fread Memorial Arts & Scholars Awards." The award ceremony was a way to grant certain students $150 each for their academic posters and artwork.

The winners were Brianna Schneberger for the Best First-Year Poster, for her work called "Doppler Shift Compensation," because of its strong writing and visual representation; Lyn for the Best Second-Year Poster, for her work called "Duality," because it tackled modern-day topics in an ancient Greece screenplay; and Mike Doyle for the Best Artwork, for his piece called "Claudia and the Moth," because of the use of light and shadow, using warm and cool colors, and the composition to the viewers’ eyes.

Siedt also said a few words for future and current LCCC students that are interested in or currently studying fine arts or just want to show their academic creativity.

"Be persistent, don’t give up on anything; if you have a dream or a goal, go full force ahead; that’s the main thing you have to do," Siedt said. "Stay focused. Be able to overcome obstacles, but always stay focused on the goal at hand, even though you might get rejected or have self-doubt. But don’t let it trickle into your mind; always drive forward."