VyStar Credit Union announces the VyStar MOCA Centennial Scholarship at the University of North Florida
JACKSONVILLE, FL (August 9, 2024) — VyStar Credit Union announces the new VyStar MOCA Centennial Scholarship. The four-year scholarship is part of the celebration of the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville’s 100 anniversary. The VyStar MOCA Centennial Scholarship will empower one student to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at the University of North Florida, commencing Fall 2025. The scholarship covers 120 credit hours and has been achieved in partnership with the Florida Prepaid College Foundation.
“The arts bring people together, enrich communities, promote cultural diversity and make Northeast Florida a more vibrant and desirable place to live, work and play,” said VyStar President/CEO Brian Wolfburg. “We are honored to support the educational journey of a student recipient with the VyStar MOCA Centennial Scholarship to UNF. We look forward to seeing the impact and difference they will make in the future”
The scholarship is directed at students who show an interest in the arts and are part of MOCA Jacksonville’s Teen Art Council, a volunteer service program that serves to empower local high school students by creating museum-based programming designed by and for teens. Members of MOCA’s Teen Art Council who are graduating high school seniors will have the opportunity to apply for the scholarship, which will be awarded in Spring 2025, prior to graduation. Applicants must be Florida residents and must have a Social Security Number. Teens in grades 9-12 are encouraged to apply to MOCA’s Teen Art Council through August 14, 2024.
“We are excited to be able to honor our founders’ vision through this amazing new scholarship,” said MOCA Executive Director Caitlín Doherty. “MOCA has had education at its core for a century and our partnership with VyStar for this scholarship is an invaluable opportunity for one of our committed teen volunteers to pursue higher education at the University of North Florida. I can see no better way to celebrate MOCA’s centenary than by providing an educational opportunity of this scale.”
MOCA Jacksonville was founded 100 years ago by a group of visionary, pioneering women — Marydelle Hoyt, Rose Tharpe, Louese Washburn, and Edith Harrison — who came together to imagine the kind of city they wanted Jacksonville to be and with the purpose of funding local public schools. At the core of their vision for a rich, vital, dynamic city were art, culture, and education.
In 2009, MOCA became a Cultural Institute of the University of North Florida, creating a turning point for the museum and bringing its ongoing themes of art and education full circle. The support of UNF broadens the museum’s reach and capabilities, while creating opportunities for meaningful work that impacts the local community and beyond. A century later, MOCA’s mission remains focused on the art, artists, and ideas of our time, with a vision that unites education, creativity, and community building in the heart of downtown Jacksonville.
“We are proud to partner with VyStar to offer a 4-year college scholarship to a deserving student,” said Florida Prepaid College Foundation Director Cynthia O’Connell. “VyStar has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting financial education and literacy, supporting the future workforce in Florida.”
About VyStar Credit Union
VyStar Credit Union is the second-largest credit union headquartered in Florida, with over 80 branches and now serves more than 985,000 members with assets of over $14 billion. VyStar is the top mortgage lender in Northeast Florida and a major employer in the region with over 2,500 employees across the communities it serves. VyStar membership is open to everyone who lives or works in the 49 contiguous counties of Central to North Florida, 29 Georgia counties, and past and present military members and their families all over the world. For more information, visit vystarcu.org, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.
