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The Black Alumni of Pratt (BAP) hosted its “Celebration of the Creative Spirit” Scholarship Benefit Gala at the Four Seasons Restaurant in Manhattan on May 18. The annual benefit honors individuals and companies in the world of art and design whose accomplishments and values resonate with those of Pratt Institute. This year’s Creative Spirit Award recipients were Tristan Walker, founder and chief executive officer of Walker & Company Brands, and Andrea and Robin McBride, co-founders of McBride Global Enterprises.
The event was attended by high-profile members of New York City’s cultural, philanthropic, civic, and entertainment communities, such as the Honorable David N. Dinkins, as well as Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte and his wife, Tess Schutte; BAP co-presidents Gerri Brown and Darius Somers; and BAP founder Dwight Johnson. Gala Co-chairs included Pratt alumnus and 2015 Celebration of the Creative Spirit Honoree Joseph Mizzi (B.S. Construction Management ’91), president and chief operating officer of Sciame Construction; Pratt alumna and visual artist Mickalene Thomas (B.F.A. ’00); and portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz. CBS News Correspondent Michelle Miller served as Mistress of Ceremonies.
The evening also included the announcement of the 2016 Marcio Moreira Multicultural Scholarship and McCann Internship winners. Sponsored by global marketing firm McCann Worldgroup, the annual scholarship, now in its second year, recognizes top academic junior students studying communications design. The winners of this year’s scholarship are Maria Alma Guede Pina, Beatriz Hernandez, and Jenny Yoo. For the second consecutive year, McCann Worldgroup offered a full-year paid internship and scholarship to all three finalists. Devika Bulchandani, president of McCannXBC and managing director of advertising agency McCann New York, also announced that the agency has hired all three of last year’s winners: Antonia Orol-Berlinger, Jordan Moss, and Ginnelle Sparkman.
Since its inception in 1990, BAP has raised more than $5 million to further the BAP endowed student scholarship effort, provide pre-college awards for high school students looking to pursue an arts education, and help fund other BAP initiatives.