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Baltimore School For The Arts Student Mia Dyer Named 2021 Recipient Of Scholastic Art And Writing Award

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore School for the Arts student recently won a prestigious regional award.

Mia Dyer is a junior at the school. She's been named a 2021 recipient of the Scholastic Art and Writing Award.

Of the 2,700 entries, she's one of only 94 to get a Gold Key award.

Walking in the halls of the Baltimore School for The Arts, Dyer knows there's great history in the building, but she was reluctant to admit she's now part of the illustrious history.

For this film student, her entry was about women in 1920s Hollywood.

"I saw this article from a book back in the 20s that described Hollywood in the filmmaking industry as a Manless Eden because it was so dominated by women," Dyer said.

"So I was really surprised that it was ever known as something that was a women's place to be working and an artistic place that was making a lot of money. I started researching and my paper became what caused that decline," she added.

When asked how her essay was received, Dyer said many of her peers were interested in the topic.

"I think it's something again that you just don't hear," Dyer said.

The award has been around for nearly a century. Author Stephen King was a recipient, and so was poet Amanda Gorman.

Gorman performed at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' Inauguration just a month ago.

"I think I'm humble because I'm surrounded by so many talented people," Dyer said as she reflected on the talent in her high school.

Dyer also had a second entry that got an honorable mention.

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