Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC) is proud to announce that student Elena Marie Kollin has been named the first-ever state Visual Art Luminary of Virginia’s Community Colleges.
Competing against a talented field representing 21 colleges across the Commonwealth, Kollin earned the top honor at the state competition held March 27–28, 2026, at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke.
The 2026 competition, themed "I Dream," marked the first time that visual art luminaries were fully integrated into the state-level program with an overall winner named. As the inaugural titleholder, Kollin will spend the next two years working on a special artistic project in Abingdon and will represent VHCC at the upcoming New Horizons conference.
"I feel immense gratitude at having been chosen from a talented field of artists, and I am honored to carry the inaugural luminary torch for the visual arts," Kollin said. "This win opens the door to an exciting road ahead, one that supports my future creative projects and puts a spotlight on the many deserving folks within my community."
Kollin, a summa cum laude graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz with degrees in English Language Literature and Italian Studies, enrolled in visual arts courses at VHCC as a means of self-empowerment and improvement. Now a resident of Southwest Virginia, she aims to become a professional artist and eventually join an artist residency program with the National Park Service.
Kollin wasn't the only student shining for VHCC in Roanoke. Jolson Peterson, the VHCC Poet Laureate, also competed at the state level. Peterson delivered a stunning performance of his poetry before a live audience at the Whitman Theater, contributing to a successful weekend for the VHCC arts program.
The work of both Kollin and Peterson will be featured in a forthcoming book showcasing the top student poets and artists from across Virginia’s Community College System.