The NABE Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), and Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, jointly announced that Yili Zhou has won the 2014 NABE Foundation Americans for the Arts Scholarship Award on Monday, February 24, during a luncheon at the 2014 NABE Policy Conference in Arlington, VA.

Zhou will receive an award in the amount of $5,000 to support the study and application of economics in her graduate studies and professional career. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Zhejiang University in China and is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in economics at New York University. After graduation, she hopes to work toward the improvement of people’s living conditions through economics research at a nonprofit institution.

A lover of theater, Zhou was a member of the Black and White Drama Troupe during all four years of her undergraduate studies in China. She not only acted in various school productions, but also several music videos. Her interests then expanded to television and live reporting. She became the TV director of Zhejiang University, even creating her own short film Onion Heart, which she also composed music for. Abroad, she found new passions in cheerleading, photography, and jazz and hip-hop dancing.                                                    

"Awarding the NABE-Americans for the Arts scholarship has not only proven an important investment in maintaining the out-of-the box creative thinking we need at a critical time in our economic history, but it has brought people into higher levels of education who might not have had access otherwise. Our applicants must not only demonstrate excellence, but need as well—something that provides returns not only to the NABE Foundation, but society as a whole," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial and a NABE Foundation Board member. "This is one many ways that the NABE Foundation is both enhancing the credibility and quality of economic analysis. It's about investing in human capital, plain and simple."

 “Americans for the Arts encourages the partnership of arts and business. We have seen more companies incorporating the arts as a way to enhance critical thinking and creativity skills in the workforce. Americans for the Arts hopes to continue this momentum by providing both businesses and arts organizations with the resources they need for continued success," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “These awards reflect a fundamental belief that the arts are a key component in helping to prepare students to exceed, and indeed thrive, in the workplace and society of the future.”

The NABE Foundation Americans for the Arts Scholarship Award was established in 2008 to encourage the integration of the arts into the economic education process. Recipients of the scholarship must come from economically disadvantaged households and have attended public school. Successful candidates demonstrate long-term participation in the study of, creation in and/or performance in one or more art forms, including dance, music, theater, literary, visual/media arts; excel academically; and have formally declared the intent to study economics for policy purposes, or in applications in the private and public sectors. The scholarship recipients are selected following a competitive review process which begins with a pre-screening of applicants by Americans for the Arts, followed by a review of finalists by a sub-committee, and ratification of recipients by the NABE Foundation Board.

The National Association for Business Economics is the largest international association of applied economists, strategists, academics, and policy-makers committed to the application of economics in decision-making in the world. The NABE Foundation is supported by NABE members to provide scholarships, education, and other efforts to build the economic profession.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.