Jeremy Hanna of Newbury Park and Elizabeth Hatakeyama of Thousand Oaks received the inaugural Emerging Artists scholarships at the Ventura County Community Foundation last month.

Jeremy and Elizabeth, both 17, each received a $2,500 award through a new fund that helps students enrolled in artistic courses to attend institutions known for excellence in teaching the arts.

"These young artists have inspired their peers, their teachers and our community," said Hugh Ralston, VCCF president and CEO.

Jeremy, who graduated from Newbury Park High School earlier this month, will study theater arts at California Lutheran University. An award-winning performer, he hopes to teach theater in order to help students work through their emotions by acting rather than acting out.

Elizabeth, a 2009 graduate of La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks, will enroll in the animation program at CSU San Jose. She served as the editor of the school's literary magazine, The Odyssey, and as a volunteer created posters to encourage donations to the Agoura Animal Shelter.

The Emerging Artists Scholarship comes out of the ArtsLIVE initiative, a threeyear effort underwritten by the James Irvine Foundation's Communities Advancing the Arts, to spotlight and enhance artistic expression in Ventura County.

For more information or to make a donation, visit www .vccf.org.