Amador County Arts Council Scholarship recipient Ashley Carroll attends Folsom Lake College this fall. Amador Arts scholarship fund supports our local, rural youth in their pursuit of higher education in the arts. Ashley met with staff member Deja Douglas to share her excitement to start the next stage of her education.
Ashley is pursuing a Business Administration Degree and plans to study music in college. Music is a great passion in Ashley’s life. She started with the flute in her elementary school band. By twelve, she took up the electric guitar; by thirteen, she taught herself the electric bass, now her primary instrument. Ashley played in the Amador High School Band and looks forward to having her band in the future.
Ashley spoke about the challenges young artists and students in Amador County face, including the pressure to choose a practical career and spend less time on their form of expression. “But expression is so important. Having a passion like the arts makes life worth living; without it, life is boring,” explains Ashely. In her opinion, young people should be quick to invest time and effort into their passions, as it will never be a waste of time.
Ashley stressed the importance of creating and appreciating art as a way to connect with others and express oneself. Expressing oneself through song might be easier than using words alone for Ashely.
When asked how The Amador Arts scholarship will help Ashely towards her goals, she expressed, “I won’t have to worry as much about how I am going to afford to go to college. I can focus more on my studies.” Ashley is on a path of growth: “I want to be the best musician I can be.”
This Year, Amador Arts will pour over $130,000 into arts education for kids aged 0 to 18. Each dollar donated toward art classes by amadorarts.org qualifies us for an additional dollar in arts grants.
