UScellular recently announced the three winners of its fourth annual Black History Month Art Contest with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley.
Public voting for the finalists’ art was available online. There were 246 votes cast during the contest. The winning artists were awarded gift cards in the following amounts:
- Laila Newman, a 12-year-old from Davenport, received $250 for first place on the Mae Jemison artwork.
- Michael Oliver, age 7, of Davenport, earned $150 for second place on the George Washington Carver creation.
- Gloria Fagla, an 8-year-old from Davenport, picked up $100 for third place on the Katherine Johnson piece.
In recognition of influential Black STEM icons, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley members were encouraged to create original pieces of artwork of important historical figures, world leaders, scientists and educators who have made vital contributions to the world of STEM.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley representatives selected the 10 finalists based on creativity, quality, interpretation, clarity of theme and overall impression. Public voting for the finalists was available online throughout February.
“Working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley to celebrate Black History Month and to highlight the achievements of Black STEM icons, such as Mae Jemison, Katherine Johnson and George Washington Carver, has been extremely gratifying,” said Ryan Vaught, UScellular’s area sales manager for southeast Iowa.
“The creativity that club members displayed in their artwork was inspiring, and we congratulate our participants and winners in this year’s contest.”
Since 2009, UScellular has donated more than $22.6 million along with countless experiences and technology items to nonprofit organizations across the country. Additionally, through its After School Access Project, UScellular has pledged up to $13 million in hotspots and service to help up to 50,000 youth connect to reliable internet in its markets.
For more information about UScellular’s corporate social responsibility initiatives, go to https://newsroom.uscellular.com/community/.
