After attending the STEP (Summer Textile Exploration Program) at North Carolina State University during the summer of 2019, Harrells Christian Academy senior Jeana Grace Bowker set her sights on being accepted to NCSU’s Wilson College of Textiles and earning a scholarship. As the only college in the United States devoted entirely to textiles, Wilson College is one of the smallest colleges at NC State, with approximately 900 undergraduate students. Jeana Grace was one of only 31 students accepted for the fall of 2020, and following a very competitive and lengthy application and interview process, she received a Pioneer Scholarship in the amount of $14,000 per year.
“I was really excited to learn that not only was I accepted but I was also going to receive a scholarship,” says Jeana Grace. “I’ve worked so hard throughout high school, and it was so cool to know that my hard work was being rewarded.”
Back in 2016, Jeana Grace began laying the foundation for her dream of becoming a household brand when she started her own business Grace & Love Designs. Since then, her business, which features handmade seasonal home decor, has grown through social media and her participation in HCA’s annual Candy Cane Lane Holiday Market.
Aside from Grace & Love Designs, Jeana Grace has used her artistic skill to undertake a service project named Gospel in the Garments. Through this project, Jeana Grace transforms used men’s dress shirts into adorable shirt dresses for underprivileged young girls. On a recent mission trip to Costa Rica, Jeana Grace and her team distributed 125 of these dresses.
With dreams of one day owning her own storefront, Jeana Grace’s acceptance into NCSU’s Wilson College has put her one step closer. “I’m so excited to get the chance to finally go and do what I love, which is sewing and designing,” she says
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