Resident Commissioner awards students’ artistic talent

San Juan, Puerto Rico- Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón hosted yesterday the award ceremony for the 2017 Congressional Art Competition in Puerto Rico, with student artist Adaia S. Berdecía-Santiago achieving First Place and earning a trip to the national capital where her work will be in exhibition for a year at the U. S. Capitol.

"For Members of Congress it is always a matter of great pride to be able to present before our colleagues and the national public the best that our states and territories have to offer. This competition is one of the most pleasing ways to do so. You become Puerto Rico's calling card, representing a youth that shines bright side by side with that of the whole nation, as all of us in Puerto Rico should aspire to in each of our spheres of life", the Resident Commissioner expressed addressing the participants.

"As a Puerto Rican art lover and collector, I see in the promotion of new young artists a way to build the future for our arts and our culture in general. Ours is a living, thriving culture that grows and evolves through contact and exchange with others", González-Colón added.

The awards ceremony, carried out at the San Juan office of the Resident Commissioner, counted with the presence of the competing students and their parents, as well as Puerto Rico Education Secretary Julia Keleher; Institute of Puerto Rican Culture Executive Director, Carlos Ruiz Cortés; and the Chairman of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Youth Affairs Committee, Representative Eddie Charbonier.

Adaia S. Berdecía-Santiago and one companion will travel to Washington DC, with flights donated by Southwest Airlines and accommodations paid by Congress, for the national level recognition ceremony. At this event, all the artworks from the different districts will be unveiled and placed in exhibit for a year in the U.S. Capitol, and national winner will be selected, competing for a scholarship at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

The Congressional Art Competition, given the name "An Artistic Discovery" has been carried out yearly by invitation among students from the 50 states and the territories since being created by Congress in 1982.

This year's Congressional Art Competition winners from Puerto Rico are:

First Place: Adaia S. Berdecía-Santiago, for "They know…" Ninth Grade, Pablo Casals Fine Arts High School, Bayamón

Second Place: Zorimar Rodriguez-Figueroa, for "Passion"; Twelfth Grade, Ernesto Ramos Antonini Specialized Arts School, Guayanilla

Third Place: Aleidys S. Rodríguez-Molina, for "Habitat", Ninth Grade, Colegio San José Hight School, Caguas

Honorific Mentions:

Valeria K. Pomales-Soto for "This takes me back" - Eleventh Grade, Central Visual Arts Specialized School, Toa Alta

Ariadna S. Torres-Vega for "With Pride" – Ninth Grade, Ernesto Ramos Antonini Specialized Arts School, Yauco

Valeria Ruiz-Soto for "Her" – Twelfth Grade, Ernesto Ramos Antonini Specialized Arts School, Yauco