Every year here at the musuem we do this thing called the Failure Award Scholarship, where we awards over $20,000 in college scholarships to the next generation of creative, innovative, and fearless graduating high school seniors who demonstrate a willingness to risk failure in the pursuit of something new. The Failure Awards scholarships reward Colorado students who embrace the spirit of creative risk-taking with scholarship monies that can be used at any accredited four-year institution towards educational expenses. While so much of student life is focused on achievement, MCA Denver believes that in order to create something original and authentic, it is necessary to risk failure. The Failure Awards are given not on the basis of academic merit or athletic prowess, but rather on a student’s demonstration of a willingness to take these risks.

Get to know this year's finalists and check out their projects April 14 at Failure Fair:

MELODY JACOBSEN

My name is Melody Jacobsen, and I go to Grand Junction High School. The last adventure I experienced was going to New York and performing in Carnegie Hall with new friends from all over the world. If I could be any kitchen appliance I would be a refrigerator because I like to keep things cool.

JARED KASPRZAK

My name is Jared Kasprzak and I go to Thompson Valley High School. My dream job that doesn’t exist yet but I would be an asteroid farmer. The last big adventure I went on was this past summer, when I went to Seminole Reservoir in Wyoming and found cliffs to jump off of into the water.

KOTA BABCOCK

My name is Kota Babcock and I go to Gateway high school. If I were to be a kitchen appliance, I would probably be the fridge because I can be really cold, but I hold a lot of sweet things in my soul. The last adventure I experienced was probably the camping trip I took with my friends up to Eagle in October, where I learned how to set up a tent, cook camping food, and live off of only natural resources within that area.

JULIAN WESSELL

My name is Julian Wessell-Meadows and I go to Denver School of the Arts. I think it's good to have spirit animals in rotation; different guides for vastly different times in one’s life. For me, last year it was an elephant. Lately, my spirit animal has been the chameleon, because of the way in which they change their colors. If I were a kitchen appliance, I would want to be an apple slicer. There is simply no real expectation for what an apple slicer should look like. In fact, it's one of the few things in this world whose function overrides its form.

CITLALLI BELTRAN

My name is Citlalli Beltran and I go to Pomona High School. Something I am strangely obsessed with is conspiracy theories about the moon landing. In an alternate universe, if I was a kitchen appliance, I would definitely be a dishwasher because I tend to clean up after everybody's mess.

DANIEL TARO

My name is Dan Taro and I go to Kent Denver School. If I were a kitchen appliance, I would be a blender because I like to disorient people and they make soothing sounds. I’m obsessed with sound; currently, my favorite sounds are the crunching of leaves in late fall, and the sound of melted snow trickling down the gutters in my house.

MCA Denver’s 2018 Failure Fair is made possible by our Presenting Partner in Innovation, Liberty Global, and our Pioneer Partner, Quarterly Forum. Scholarship awards made possible by Quarterly Forum and InSook Chon.