Four VPA Students Named 2024-25 Remembrance Scholars

Four College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) students are among the 35 students who have been chosen as the 2024-25 Syracuse University Remembrance Scholars.

The scholarships, now in their 35th year, were founded as a tribute to—and means of remembering—the students studying in London and Florence through Syracuse University who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Those students were among the 270 people who perished in the bombing. The scholarships are funded through an endowment supported by gifts from alumni, friends, parents and corporations.

Remembrance Scholars are chosen in their junior year through a competitive selection process. Applicants submitted an essay and a reflective response in multimedia, artistic, musical or written format as part of a comprehensive application. The application evaluation committee is composed of University faculty and staff and current Remembrance Scholars. The $5,000 scholarships are awarded on the basis of scholarship, leadership and service to the community.

The four VPA students selected are:

  • Mason Garbus of Hannibal, New York, a music education major in the Setnor School of Music and the School of Education;
  • Joshua Garvin of Houston, Texas, a music industry major in the Setnor School of Music;
  • Kelsey Leary of Mahopac, New York, an art photography major in the Department of Film and Media Arts; and
  • Mason Romero of Olathe, Kansas, a music education major in the Setnor School of Music and the School of Education, a music history and cultures major in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.