Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA), Providence, R.I., recently presented its third annual “Future of the Industry Awards.” Created in 2000, this design competition is open to high school students who have designed and created an original piece of jewelry as part of a high school art or jewelry class.

The awards, sponsored by MJSA’s Education Foundation, recognize outstanding creative achievements of high school students, and promote awareness of career opportunities in the jewelry industry.

This year’s Future of the Industry Award winners are:

First Place, $500 Scholarship: Melissa Nichols, Tolman High School, Pawtucket, Rhode Island Copper, bone, shell, and pearl necklace.

Second Place, $250 Scholarship: Cynthia Martin, Tolman High School, Pawtucket, Rhode Island Copper and silver wire twist choker with wooden beads.

Third Place, $250 Scholarship: Thecia Tora, Central Falls High School, Central Falls, Rhode Island Fashion puzzle ring made with pearls and jigsaw puzzle pieces.

Scholarships are awarded to the winning students upon graduation from high school.

In related news, MJSA recently presented a scholarship check to the winner of the first Future of the Industry Awards. Natalia Santiago, who won third place in the 2000 competition, graduated this year from Central Falls High School. Santiago will use her MJSA scholarship money to attend Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she will study art therapy.

The Future of the Industry Award is sponsored by MJSA’s Education Foundation, a non-profit organization providing direction and funding for the development of jewelry industry educational programs. In addition to the Future of the Industry Awards, the Education Foundation grants scholarships annually to students enrolled in jewelry-related courses of study at colleges, universities, and non-profit technical schools on the post-secondary level in the United States.

For more information on the Future of the Industry Awards or MJSA’s Education Foundation and educational programs, contact Mary Walek, director of education, at 1-800-444-6572, ext. 3041, or e-mail mwalek@mjsainc.com.

JCK