The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation announced Monday that Zoya Kulikov-Wickizer, a distinguished senior at the University of Washington, has been honored with the top scholarship award of $5,000. The foundation’s scholarship program, generously funded by an endowment, is dedicated to nurturing promising art students. This year, the program awarded 22 scholarships, amounting to a total of $35,000, from a pool of 28 applicants.

Kulikov-Wickizer has been a recipient of the Foundation’s scholarship each year she has been in school, and emerged as the top prize winner this year. The scholarship committee selects winners based on their art portfolio, academic performance and a compelling essay, and recognized Kulikov-Wickizer’s exceptional talent and dedication to her craft.

In a recent interview, she shared her lifelong passion for art and her future plans. Her passion for art was cultivated in a dedicated art space at home in a room under the stairs, and her mother’s support is evident in the “ZAG: the Zoya Art Gallery” — a collection of Kulikov-Wickizer’s artworks displayed in her mother’s apartment.

Kulikov-Wickizer’s future plans include becoming an art teacher, inspired by her high school art teacher, Mr. Washburn. She also dreams of starting a small business, with the goal of spreading joy through her art. Shewill continue her artistic journey at the University of Washington as a senior, taking two studio art classes every quarter next year. Kulikov-Wickizer’s diverse interests and dedication to art make her a unique and inspiring individual, the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation said in announcing her award.