Nora de Mariaffi made a name for herself as the founding organizer of GLOW: Generating Leadership Opportunities for Women, which aims to connect high school-aged girls with women community leaders to create networking and mentorship opportunities for female-identifying youth interested in leadership.

Today she’s in the news for winning ArtsNL and Statoil Canada’s ArtsSmarts Scholarship, which is an annual $2,500 scholarship for a local high school student enrolled for full-time art studies at a Canadian university. De Mariaffi will pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Concordia University, majoring in Art Education-Visual Arts, Extended Credit Program.

Reg Winsor, executive director of ArtsNL, says de Mariaffi’s application demonstrated “a strong dedication to learn as well as advance her skills as a visual artist. In her essay she outlined her desire to develop a professional studio art practice, while also having the ability to teach children and younger artists about art – recognizing the value of early exposure to the arts.”

She counts famed artists like Van Gough and Cezanne, and local artists like Christopher Pratt and Michael Pittman among her influences. In the references section of de Mariaffi’s application, she is described as someone who thrives off all aspects of the creative process, and who develops concepts with careful attention before working with accuracy and purpose.

Gisle Stjern, VP for Offshore Newfoundland for Statoil, says “We believe that giving talented individuals the tools, resources, and opportunities to succeed early on, will have long-term benefits for them as well as society. We refer to these individuals as Heroes of Tomorrow, and Nora is no exception.”