Brightpoint Community College Foundation Announces 2025 Art Award Winner
Primary Media Contact: Holly Walker, Director of Communications and Public Relations, 804-594-1530
Secondary Media Contact: Heather Busch, Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy, 804-594-1532
CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – Sometimes, life takes you in a different direction. Priorities shift, interests come into focus, goals change, and you realize the path you are on is not the best one for you. That is how Maya Berinhout discovered her passion for art. Five years ago, Berinhout graduated with a bachelor’s degree and plans to attend medical school. She realized, however, that goal was not the right fit for her. So, she began exploring other professions. Along the way, she found a strong love of art and decided to pursue a career that would allow her to leverage her creative interests. “I’ve always been drawn to art—pun intended,” Berinhout said. “As a kid, my parents encouraged creativity through various extracurriculars, and art was always one of my favorite subjects. After college, I worked in art-related jobs, but it wasn’t until joining Brightpoint that I felt I truly grew as an artist.”
Her growing confidence led her to enter the annual Brightpoint Community Foundation Art Award Contest, and her drawing, Hello There! was named the 2025 winner. Berinhout says Hello There! was created for a class assignment in which students could only use lines, shapes and patterns when drawing an animal or a person. “I’m honored to be this year’s recipient, especially because the other submissions were from really talented artists,” she said. “This piece was done in one of the very first classes I took at Brightpoint, which makes it even more meaningful.” Berinhout says she has enjoyed all the classes she’s taken at the college and thanks each of her professors for their support. “While taking Painting Techniques for Illustrators with Vince Zawada, I discovered the magical field of art direction,” she said. “Something clicked, and I knew that was the thing I wanted to do.” She is continuing to gain experience in the field and then plans to begin work on a master’s degree.
The Brightpoint Community College Foundation Art Award, which originated in 1995, showcases the artistic abilities of the college’s students. Finalists are chosen by the Foundation Art Award Selection Committee, made up of Foundation Board members and college faculty and staff. Members of the Foundation Board of Directors then select the winning entry from among the finalists. An image of the winning artwork is converted into a poster and into cards that are used by the Foundation and the college. The winner receives a financial award, a framed and matted copy of the poster, and additional posters for their portfolio.
In addition to Berinhout (23223), the following students created artwork that were finalists for the 2025 Brightpoint Community College Foundation Art Award (zip codes follow each name): Renee Aldine Alegre (23805), Joshua Cloninger (23235), Emily Jalbert (23192), Estefania Jimenez Rivero (23832), Beq Parker (23228), and Melissa White (23231).
The Brightpoint Community College Foundation secures resources that provide scholarships for students; fund academic programs, student support services, capital projects, and renovations to modernize classrooms and labs; and stimulate innovation within the college faculty and staff. This work ensures the college continues its pledge of providing academic excellence to students while expanding the services it offers to meet the community’s workforce requirements. Since most of the college’s graduates live and work in the area, gifts to the Foundation are an investment in both students and the community.
Brightpoint Community College, one of the largest institutions in the Virginia Community College System, envisions a success story for every student. Brightpoint offers students a high-quality, high-value education, with more than 80 majors that provide pathways to careers in in-demand fields; transfer opportunities to four-year colleges and universities; and industry credentials and licensures. The college, with campuses in Chester and Midlothian, online classes, and off-campus classrooms, served 12,097 students during the 2023-24 academic year. It also assisted 4,200 learners through Community College Workforce Alliance, the shared workforce division of Brightpoint and Reynolds community colleges.