Army Vet Wins 2017 WJA Female Veteran Grant

New York--The Women’s Jewelry Association has awarded $40,000 in grants and scholarships this year, and honored a number of those winners at Monday night’s Awards for Excellence gala.

The WJA Female Veteran Grant went to Kim Kowalski, who was a part of the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army.

Kowalski left the Army after a bad landing caused lower-body injuries and then became an occupational therapy assistant with help from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

She started making jewelry when she created a jewelry kit to help patients, but soon found that it also helped her manage her own obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Kowalski is now developing her own jewelry business as well, designing with found objects and non-traditional materials, and she hopes to be able to combine that with continued help for patients who need occupational therapy.

She will complete an independent study in studio arts at her local community college this fall.

When she took the stage at the WJA gala on Monday to accept her grant, Kowalski said the money was going to help her pay for classes and supplies she wouldn’t be able to otherwise afford, as well as a few pieces of equipment she’s “been daydreaming about for a few years.”

She also said the money is really helping two veterans: Her husband is also a vet who’s getting into jewelry, so any knowledge she gains can be passed on to him.  

“But beyond that--just the things that I can afford now--is the validation for me that, yeah, I really am doing something worthwhile, and people outside my family and friends believe in me and my ability to succeed,” she said.

Kowalski also talked about how proud and passionate she was about the work that she’s doing, a feeling she hopes to pass on to women who might defer to being humble and demur.

“I’m hoping with this grant that I can help change that,” she said from the podium Monday night. “I want my voice to be heard, I want my art to be seen, and I want to help other women learn to find themselves in art, no matter what kind, the way I’ve been able to.”

Meanwhile, the $5,000 merit-based 2017 Carelle-WJA Grant was awarded to Brooklyn-based jewelry designer Rachel Weld Newton, who creates wearable, sculptural pieces for her brand, Rachel Weld.

She was an architect, interior designer and ballet dancer before she