After receiving the highest honor possible for a high school artist, Sophie Weber’s photographs caught the attention of the Minnesota College of Art and Design who awarded her a $60,000 scholarship to their school.

Weber first submitted her work to the Scholastic competition. “I submitted two individual [photos] and one portfolio,” Weber said. The Scholastic judges review all work submitted––accepted in any medium of the artists’ choosing––and give awards according to their merit. From each state, 250 people receive a gold key, 250 receive a silver key, and 250 received an honorable mention.

“The art department chooses who they believe to be their ‘best artists.’ Then, after a couple months, after each piece is submitted, scholastic sends the awards. If you got a silver or gold key you go to an awards ceremony, which was held at the Weisman center this year,” Weber said.

The gold key winners’ artwork is reviewed by the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) and they award two of the students that are admitted to the college, Weber being one of them.

“When they said, ‘Sophie Weber’ I couldn’t believe it,” Weber said. This astounding scholarship was not something that Weber had to apply for, she just had to submit her work to the Scholastic competition.

Weber’s talent and interest in photography that led her to this scholarship was sparked in her sophomore year.

“I always liked art, and as much as I wished I could draw, I am a little better than the basics, but that’s about it. So I took a photography class sophomore year, and I was really good at it, and just kept going and went to India. That is where I sort of realized how good I was, and it inspired me to do it more,” Weber said.

Weber was able to travel to India because of a National Geographic Photo Expedition. “I saw the Dalai Lama. I cried. That was unreal,” Weber said. Besides seeing the amazing figure, the expedition also led her on more classic or tourist-like adventures.

“We did a lot of sightseeing, went to a lot of monasteries, we worked at a high school up in the mountains of India, and did kind of the more generic thing. In New Delhi, we saw the Taj Majal and went to different forts and palaces around there,” Weber said.

The photos Weber submitted to the Scholastic competition, and was awarded the scholarship for, were from her expedition to India. After receiving a gold key in the state portion of the scholastic competition, Weber and her fellow gold key holders’ artwork will be judged again in the regional portion.

“If you get a gold key, it goes nationwide and then they judge them again. So at the end of March I’ll find out how I did nationwide with my photos,” Weber said.

Weber’s obvious talent and love for photography, combined with the prestigious scholarship, is leading her to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design this fall.

“I’m going to go to the Bachelors of Science program which is kind of a business mixed with art, and then I’m going to minor in photography,” Weber said.