Stephanie Preston, left, the first recipient of the Chris Griffin Memorial Scholarship, celebrates with scholarship co-founder and retired GPC professor Carl Griffin, center, and David Koffman, GPC’s chair of Humanities at Clarkston Campus. (Photo by Bill Roa)

Carl Griffin’s eyes fill with tears as he reminisces about his son Christopher’s death 25 years ago. The high school sophomore dance major at DeKalb School of the Arts was sledding on a cold, wintry day when he was fatally struck by a car. Though his death left a gaping hole in his parents’ hearts, it’s his life that they want to honor.

Griffin and his former wife, Ellen Griffin, established the Chris Griffin Memorial Scholarship at Georgia Perimeter College to help a fine arts student study his or her craft and share that knowledge with others. The initial scholarship was awarded in late December. Stephanie Preston, the first recipient of the $500 scholarship, hugged Griffin and fought back her own tears as she shared with the retired GPC Dunwoody humanities professor how much the $500 gift has impacted her life.“I had lost my job, lost my home and was living in a hotel,” says Preston, a fine arts major who plans to become a graphic designer. “I was at rock bottom when I got word that I had won the scholarship. That award was a message for me to keep going, to push on and not give up.”

Just a few years ago, Preston worked in customer service while taking business administration classes at night at Clayton State University. She imagined a solid life as an accounts manager, but couldn’t quiet the voice in her head that kept telling her there was more out there.

“I have always been timid, but I found my voice with art,” Preston says. “Whether it be charcoal, graphite, any kind of mixed media—I am alive when I am drawing and painting. I just couldn’t give that up.”

Two years ago, Preston transferred to GPC and changed her major to fine arts. Unfortunately, her life began to spiral out of control. An injury and a job loss led her to the verge of homelessness just three weeks before the end of the fall semester.

“I had no idea what I was going to do, and then friends at church stepped up and offered me a place to stay,” Preston explains. “And then I received the Chris Griffin Memorial Scholarship, which helped pay for the spring semester. The blessings just came pouring in.”

Preston is working toward a career in animation and movies, but she also dreams of one day providing free art classes for children in underserved communities.

“Art saved my life as a kid and gave me a dream to go after as an adult,” she said in her application for the scholarship, “and I’m sure it could do the same for so many others.” David Koffman, GPC’s chair of Humanities at Clarkston Campus, says Preston is an outstanding applicant. “She embodies the essence of the scholarship because she has a real interest in helping children in the community learn and appreciate the fine arts,” he says.

For Griffin, the scholarship means that someone else will carry on his son’s legacy. “My son was a beautiful person who wanted to share his gift of dance with the world,” he says. “I wanted to help a fine arts student carry on where Chris left off because of his tragically short life.”