Sara Holly Ackerman is a school librarian and children’s book author who has received several scholarships from the Highlights Foundation. Prior to receiving a PJ Library Scholarship in 2023 and a Richard H. Bell Scholarship in 2024, she was a 2022 and 2023 PJ Library Summer Camp participant.
In Sara’s Words
The scholarships were so incredibly meaningful for me. When others invest in your work, they are saying that your voice matters, that they want to read your words, that they want CHILDREN to read your words.
Sara used the Richard H. Bell Scholarship to attend our Summer Camp in Writing and says:
I worked on two manuscripts that I am continuing to revise to be ready for submission. Every picture book creator should listen to Rob Sanders talk about throughlines if they ever have the opportunity!
With her PJ Library Scholarship, Sara attended the Spark Inspiration with Meditation and Creative Play retreat:
I left my comfort zone with the drama and meditation exercises and it helped me shake ideas loose and come to new understandings in my revisions. I learned strategies for exploring character and perspective that I can use again and again. The encouraging exercises interspersed between uninterrupted stretches of writing time were the epitome of Highlight’s thoughtful approach. With the help of the faculty and the other writers in attendance, the picture book manuscript I workshopped is out on sub.
When you support the Highlights Foundation scholarship program you are giving authors and illustrators an incredible tool to make the kinds of books you want children to one day read.
More About Sara
Sara Holly Ackerman is a school librarian and children’s book author living in Brooklyn, NY. Her picture books include The Gabi That Girma Wore (co-authored by Fasika Adefris, illustrated by Netsanet Tesfay); Not Just the Driver! (illustrated by Robert Neubecker) and Challah for Shabbat Tonight (illustrated by Alona Millgram).
Website: sarahollyackerman.com
instagram: @sarahollyackerman
Support a Scholarship at the Highlights Foundation
Our Special Scholarships are donor-guided scholarship funds. The creators (donors) of the scholarships help guide decisions about the fund, including the type of program they can be used on and who can be awarded the scholarship.
There are two ways to support our special scholarships:
1) Support an Existing Fund – Does one of our special scholarships already serve a purpose you’d like to support? All our existing scholarship funds accept donations to increase their impact and ensure their longevity.
2) Establish a Special Scholarship – You can also create your own scholarship fund. Here’s how: Options start at $1,500 per year with a minimum commitment of five years. As the fund creator, you can design the scholarship, designate who it supports, and set other criteria. Contact us to discuss options.
In addition to special scholarships, the Highlights Foundation also provides general scholarships. Supporting our general scholarship fund is another great way to support storytellers here at the Highlights Foundation.
