The Pat MacKay Diversity In Design Scholarships, funded by LDI and Live Design, were introduced to support the underrepresented and unique voices in the field of entertainment design and are presented in partnership with TSDCA and USITT, for undergraduate students. This year's application deadline is Friday, May 27. 2022.
Noelani Montas, Mia Teboe, and Taylor Gordon are three 2021 scholarship winners who were able to join us at LDI in Las Vegas. Here's what the scholarship means to them.
Noelani Montas is focused on lighting, programming and design and is inspired by the work of Es Devlin. She told us, ""For me, winning the Pat MacKay Diversity in Design scholarship goes beyond just a representation of myself and my work, it is really dedicated to my communities and the people who see me and can relate to me. This award has given me so much excitement for the future of mixed race, Native, Latine artists and designers involved in live performance, and I'm so honored to be a part of that future."
Mia Teboe is a sophomore in the Sound Design BFA program at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She hopes to work in the industry as a production sound engineer or designer but plans to go back to school for a graduate degree. Mia says, "Receiving this scholarship and traveling to LDI gave me the chance to make meaningful connections with other young technicians and designers who are also passionate about promoting diversity in the industry. Their insight allowed me to have a greater understanding of the broad scope of diversity."
Taylor Gordon is a junior studying lighting at the University of North Carolina, School of the Arts. Although she is on the lighting design track, she also has a strong interest in projection design and has focused on teaching herself content creation and 3D modeling. She is inspired by Peter Nigrini’s immersive and interactive work on Dear Evan Hansen.
Gordon says, "The scholarship gave me a voice as an aspiring young woman who is soon to be joining the lighting and video design field. At times, I find myself being the only woman in the room and I am encouraged to learn that the industry is more and more inclusive to allow for so many creative voices in a production. Attending the LDI conference was a great opportunity to meet professionals who have been in my shoes. It gave me inspiration and advice in preparation for joining the field soon. Everyone I spoke to was happy to take the time and answer questions and to help out the next generation!"