Pictured: Mya Frazer speaking at the 2022 EOD annual luncheon. Photo by Cliff Roles.

Anela Ajkic (Riverview High School), Mya Fraser (Venice High school), and Megan Meese (Riverview High School)—recently graduated high school seniors who served as members of their school’s Coexistence Club—were awarded $1,000 four-year renewable scholarships by Embracing Our Differences. They join Chloe Labrecque and Cam Pham, juniors at the University of Florida, who received their first scholarship in 2020; Emilia Przepiora, a sophomore at the University of Florida, who received her first scholarship in 2021; and Kennedy Hart, a sophomore at Rice University, who received her first scholarship in 2021. The students are part of an EOD scholarship initiative that grants annual $1,000 renewable scholarships to three students at regional high school Coexistence Clubs. Current Coexistence Club locations include Booker, North Port, Pineview, Riverview, Sarasota, Suncoast Polytech, and Venice high schools, IMG Academy and SCF Collegiate Bradenton and Venice in addition to two middle school clubs at Laurel Nokomis School and Venice Middle School. Coexistence Club members serve as docents for thousands of students who visit EOD’s outdoor exhibit every year in addition to designing and leading student-driven initiatives in their schools to promote inclusion and acceptance.

For 19 years, Embracing Our Differences has drawn on the passion and perception of artists, students, writers, and others to create powerful statements of diversity and acceptance in its annual outdoor public art exhibition consisting of 50 billboard-sized works of art and accompanying quotes. The scale and impact of this outdoor exhibition has continued to grow, attracting more than 4 million visitors since its inception. This exhibit is the heart of a year-round program of activities designed to use art as a catalyst to create awareness and promote diversity.

Pictured: Mya Frazer speaking at the 2022 EOD annual luncheon. Photo by Cliff Roles.