Livingston HS Student Nets $10K Scholarship For Creative Teens

LIVINGSTON, NJ — A 17-year-old Livingston High School student’s artistic endeavors netted him a $10,000 scholarship as part of the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for creative teens in grades 7-12.

Kush Dhungana was among 16 high school seniors nationwide – and the only from New Jersey - to earn the program's highest national honor, the Gold Medal Portfolio, which includes a $10,000 scholarship.

According to Livingston public school officials, Dhungana was recognized for his writing portfolio, "The Application Experience," which uses poetry, flash fiction and scripts to explore the ins and outs of the college application process.

Dhungana also created and co-artistic directs NJ Visionaries Film Festival, New Jersey’s newest film fest for young filmmakers and screenwriters. The event is planned to take place on June 9 at the Bow Tie Caldwell Cinema 4 Theater, and for more info on the festival, visit njvisionaries.com.

• See related article: Livingston High Students Spearhead 'NJ Visionaries Film Festival'

But that’s not all. Dhungana produces music under the alias “Kush D,” and is producing a 12-song mixtape called “Omission” which will feature young singers and rappers from New Jersey. Dhungana describes the project as a “wide-ranging showcase of the young musical talent across the state.” Omission will be released this spring on SoundCloud and YouTube.

For more information on Dhungana and his projects, visit kushaldhungana.com.

Within the awards' 29 categories—which include poetry, photography, sculpture, humor, editorial cartoons, and video game design—a record-breaking 346,000 works of art and writing were submitted at the regional level this year. To learn more about the competition and to find a complete list of the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards national recipients, visit: www.artandwriting.org

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Photo: Kush Dhungana