Professor Claire Warden (School of Design and Creative Arts) presented the certificates in her capacity as Chair of the Arts Committee and Professor Sam Grogan (Pro Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience) and Dr Joanne Jennings (Visiting Member) were also present. 

In addition to a cash prize, each scholar receives a tailored package of support to help them develop their talent during the year. For some, this will be one-to-one tuition or mentoring, for others it will involve covering the cost of music exam fees and short courses or attending special events. Each scholar's work will be showcased during the year with a special showcase event in the summer term. 

This year’s winners are from a variety of academic backgrounds and include undergraduate and postgraduate students from the East Midlands campus. 

2024/25 scholarship winners: 

• Victor Ayodele – Music (singer, songwriter producer) 

• Adithi Ravi-Prakash – Performing arts (dance) 

• George Reed – Performing arts (wrestling) 

• DaeJean Samuels – Visual arts (photography) 

• Anna Wright – Music (woodwind) 

Victor Ayodele is a passionate R&B artist, producer and singer/songwriter with a deep commitment to expressing his faith through music. Since the age of 10, Victor has been immersed in music production, starting with GarageBand on his iPhone and gradually honing his craft on professional platforms like Logic Pro. Over the years, his journey has evolved from experimenting with beats to producing high-quality music for himself and collaborating with other talented artists. 

At the age of 15, Victor created his first single, a process that took two years to fully bring to life. Encouraged by friends who recognised his talent, he embraced his potential as a vocalist and producer, fuelling his dedication to the art of music-making. Since joining Loughborough University, Victor has further developed his artistry by writing, singing, and performing alongside fellow creatives, enriching his sound and expanding his horizons. 

Currently, Victor is working on a Christian R&B album, set for release next year, which serves as a heartfelt reflection of his faith. Inspired by artists like Madison Ryann Ward, Sondae, and Forrest Frank, Victor seeks to blend his technical expertise with his passion for creating uplifting music that spreads love and positivity. 

Through this scholarship, Victor aims to refine his upcoming album and produce it to the highest standard. This opportunity will hopefully elevate his artistry but also empower him to share his music with a broader audience, inspiring others and uplifting communities through his unique blend of faith and creativity. 

Adithi Ravi-Prakash vividly remembers stepping foot into her first dance class as a curious four-year-old, brimming with enthusiasm and 19 years later, the excitement remains unchanged and her journey in dance continues unabated.  

Adithi explains: Having trained in Bharatanatyam, an ancient Indian classical dance form, for nearly two decades, I can confidently say that dance has become the core of my identity. As a practitioner, performer, and choreographer, I hold a proficiency certification in the dance form and have had the privilege of presenting close to 500 recitals, both as a soloist and as part of ensembles.  

“My experience extends to freelancing with internationally renowned dance companies, collaborating on experimental works of contemporary relevance and large-scale musical productions.” A notable highlight of hers was performing in ‘The Great Indian Musical: Civilisation to Nation’, India’s largest musical production.” 

With this scholarship, Adithi looks forward to enhancing her technical training, reaching broader audiences and working towards realising her artistic vision. 

George Reed, an aspiring professional wrestler, began his journey at 19, where he trained at the FTGU School of Wrestling in Leicester. A few years later George made his debut on FTGU Live Wrestling Shows and began appearing on shows around Leicestershire as a proud member of the Vegan World Order. 

George commented: “I hope to continue working in media and entertainment, particularly professional wrestling, after University.” 

DaeJean Samuels explores the emotional state of sonder. His multi-disciplinary creative journey explores painting, collaging, zine-making and film photography, all intertwined to tell a story of the beautiful mundane we live amongst and the people we share this lifetime with.  

DaeJean’s childhood was archived on film camera by his parents, capturing moments that were frozen in time and told a story of his youth and upbringing. He now is using his 20s to capture a new era of his life, as he navigates the world as an artist and a creative mind. The mundane stills project was created as a way for DaeJean to not only document his life, his environments and his people, but to inspire and to push others to do the same - to find beauty and solace in the mundane, and to make something of it. 

On receiving this scholarship, he wishes to continue to develop his film photography project ‘The Mundane Stills Project’ using combination of new and archived stills to create a cyanotype wall tapestry. A photobook zine will also be made alongside this project featuring DaeJean’s photography. 

Finally, Anna Wright, is a Grade eight flautist who has been playing for 13 years since the age of seven. Music has always been a prominent part of her life throughout school, playing in countless orchestras, bands and small ensembles which have been a key part to her musical development and enjoyment over the years. 

Anna is hoping to use the scholarship to develop her skills as a flautist, by expanding her flute collection to include a piccolo. She is also hoping to restart music tuition lessons to start working towards her Flute Diploma.   

The Arts scholarships are managed by LU Arts, the University’s extracurricular arts programme. They recognise and reward talent, potential, passion and commitment in any art form. They encourage involvement in the arts outside of a student's studies and are not related to an individual’s degree or postgraduate studies. 

If anyone at the University has an event that you would be interested in a scholar performing at then please email LU Arts at LUArts@lboro.ac.uk. 

Read more about the 2024/25 Music and Arts Scholars on the LU Arts website.