MJSA Awards $9K in Scholarships to Jewelry Students

Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) has awarded $9,000 in scholarships to three students pursuing professional careers in jewelry making and design. 

Each student will receive a $3,000 grant from the MJSA Education Foundation to pay for their studies, the organization said Tuesday. This year’s recipients are Tahnee Barbee, Gigi Sui and Daniela Villacorta. 

Barbee is working toward a certificate in jewelry technology at the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology and expects to earn her certificate at the end of the year, after which she plans to pursue a job as a bench jeweler. Sui who is entering her second year at North Bennet Street School in Boston, is set to receive her certificate next year in jewelry making and repair. She hopes to work as a bench jeweler in addition to creating custom designs.  

Meanwhile, Villacorta, who is the third generation in her family to pursue a career in the industry, is currently studying metalsmithing at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, where she will earn her bachelor of fine arts in 2026. She wants to open her own business focused on jewelry that explores cultural motifs. 

In total, the foundation has awarded nearly $270,000 in scholarships since 1997.

Image: Daniela Villacorta, Gigi Sui and Tahnee Barbee (l to r). (MJSA)