Rhodes sophomore Mary Phan has been awarded an Americans for the Arts NABE Scholarship encouraging the integration of the arts and economics. The award is presented by the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) Foundation and the Americans for the Arts and is open to both recent high school graduates and current college undergraduates. Phan will be recognized at the NABE Policy Conference to be held in March in Washington, DC.
Phan, who graduated from Houston High School in Germantown, TN, is pursuing a double major in economics and art history with a minor in German. She has worked as an orchestra manager for the Sinfonietta and art gallery assistant for The Yellow House on Union Ave. Both organizations are located in Memphis. She also is a free-lance musician (violin) and a member of the Rhodes Equestrian Team.
In addition, Phan is a participant of Rhodes’ Clarence Day Scholarship Program, which requires students to complete a service, research, or internship activity in addition to meeting the college’s rigorous academic standards. She has acted as a liaison between Memphis arts institutions and Clarence Day Scholars.
After graduating from Rhodes, Phan would like to study the markets for Italian Renaissance and Baroque art or the antiquities trafficking black market. She eventually plans to earn a Ph.D.
Says Phan, “I see my study of art history through the words of Aristotle—‘The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.’ I view economics in much the same vein. In combining the two disciplines, I believe I have found a marriage of empiricism and humanity that satisfies my individual passions. With the NABE scholarship, I am honored to be the recipient of an award coming from others of similar perceptions.”