N. C. State students are known worldwide for being the best and the brightest. Keisha Okafor, a sophomore in art and design, is contributing to the University’s tradition of excellence. Okafor’s painting, “Brooklyn,” was recently published in the Fall 2010 edition of The National Society of Collegiate Scholar’s The Collegiate Scholar. “This is a really awesome honor,” Okafor said.

“The fall edition [of The Collegiate Scholar] in which Okafor’s work “Brooklyn” was published received 304 submissions,” Janine Deegan, the outreach manager for NSCS, said.

Of the 304 submissions, 21 were published, with five falling under the art category.

Okafor used acrylic paint to create her “Brooklyn.”

“The painting was based on a picture I took in New York City in the summer. The painting shows a part of New York City,” Okafor said.

Okafor was inducted to NSCS last October, and this was her first submission to The Collegiate Scholar.

“This was my first time submitting art to NSCS,” Okafor said. “The only thing I remember winning [previously] is a bookmark contest in elementary school.”

In a press release, Steve Loflin, the CEO and Founder of NSCS, said “NSCS is happy to provide members like with an opportunity to be published, we hope that Okafor’s work will inspire other members to share their creativity with the NSCS community.”

The Collegiate Scholar is a tri-annual publication produced by NSCS, an invitation-only interdisciplinary honor society. It is available online at http://www.nscs.org/files/u32981/Fall2010_0.pdf.

Members of NSCS submit up to two of their works in five different categories: popular culture, autobiographical, college life, short story, poetry, and art.

There is currently no prize for publication. Publication in and of itself is of great benefit for art, English and journalism majors. “Once published, [they] can put on their resume that they have been published in a national literary magazine,” Deegan said. According to Deegan, this can give students an edge when seeking employment.