Editing student's focus on female storytelling earns her a $10,000 Nikon scholarship

It was a normal day last summer when rising fourth-year film student Laura-Ellen “Lolly” Adair received the news from Nikon that she was selected as a Nikon Storytellers Scholarship recipient. “I remember answering the phone call while sitting at my internship with South Carolina ETV,” says Adair. She then made a series of phone calls to share the news with her family and friends that she received a $10,000 scholarship.

Adair, who studies picture editing and sound design, was selected as one of ten students from universities across the country as a scholarship recipient from Nikon, who hopes that the funds “support their growth as creators and celebrate their commitment to visual storytelling.” 

Adair first learned about the scholarship competition through a UNCSA Filmmaking student and alumni Facebook group that is focused on sharing news and opportunities with fellow Pickles. As an out-of-state student from South Carolina, Adair thought the competition would be a great opportunity that could help out with her school expenses. Adair submitted her resume, where she included extracurricular information about her time volunteering as both a peer mentor and a student ambassador for the School of Filmmaking, and a recommendation letter from Film Editing professor Michael Miller.