Nyla Mawire (CFA’25) is the winner of this year’s Esther B. and Albert S. Kahn Career Entry Award, which comes with a $20,000 check intended to jump-start the career of one graduating College of Fine Arts student each year. Five other Kahn Award finalists receive $2,500 each. Photo courtesy of Mawire

Accolades

Kahn Award in Hand, CFA School of Music Grad Returns to Her Hometown

Tuba player Nyla Mawire (CFA’25) will use the $20,000 prize to bolster music education in her hometown

For Nyla Mawire, playing tuba is a way of being part of something greater than herself—it’s being part of a community. As a performer in an orchestra, she says, “you really are the foundation of the sound we’re making. That’s pretty cool.” 

Mawire (CFA’25) wants to be that foundation for other young musicians in her community, too. In her hometown of Somersworth, N.H.—a small city that bumps up against neighboring Maine—she is aware that funding for music education can be hard to come by. Like so many communities across the United States, when budget cuts are called for in Somersworth, arts education is often among the first on the chopping block. 

With help from a recent award, Mawire plans to help fill that gap. She is Boston University’s 2025 winner of the Esther B. and Albert S. Kahn Career Entry Award, which comes with a $20,000 check intended to jump-start the career of one graduating College of Fine Arts student each year. Five other Kahn Award finalists each receive $2,500. 

“Music is something that has taught me so many other life skills, and I really think that having a strong music foundation can only be a positive thing for young students,” she says. “Having more students interested in music is only going to be a good thing.” 

Harvey Young, dean of the College of Fine Arts, described each finalist’s mission at a recent ceremony. He said of Mawire: “Nyla is doing something really, really exciting. One, she’s thinking about underserved communities within New Hampshire, in terms of lack of access to music education: what would it mean to center oneself as a professional artist in your community? And two, she’s thinking about the power of chamber [orchestras] to model inclusion.”

The prize left Mawire in shock. She stood on a small platform along with the other Kahn Award finalists and listened as Young described each worthy endeavor and student. 

“I was super impressed by everyone,” she says. “I was in good company, and knew that even if I didn’t win, I was among so many people who obviously deserved the prize.” When Young announced her name, “it almost didn’t feel real,” she says. “In some ways, it still doesn’t.” 

Mawire will be using her funding to establish herself as a private instructor of low brass instruments (namely, tuba) for elementary, middle, and high school students in Somersworth and other nearby communities. But the award will also help her purchase a professional tuba for her own performances. Classical tuba players, Mawire says, are expected to be able to play on two instruments: one, a traditional “C” tuba (which Mawire has), and another, more specialized, “F” tuba (both named for the keys they’re tuned to). Critical to advancing in a musician’s career and practice, these instruments can cost as much as a used car. 

“Which was hard, because I’m also saving up for a car,” Mawire says with a laugh. 

These dual purposes reveal her split paths after graduation. She’ll establish her private teaching practice in New Hampshire during a gap year, before heading back to graduate school. She’s hoping to learn more about each side of her passion, teaching and performance, before committing to a career. 

“I’ve always been more of a performer, but during my time in college, I’ve had more opportunities to teach students, and I really enjoyed that as well,” Mawire says. “This gap year is a chance for me to figure out if I want to focus on performance again or take more of an education route. It’s exciting; there’s going to be a lot that I discover about myself.” 

She’ll do much more than that. 

“I’m so proud to be from my hometown,” she says. “I had a music director who was so passionate about what he did, and I want to share that passion with my hometown.” 

The other five finalists, who each receive $2,500, are:

Cassandra McDonald (CFA’25)DMA Trumpet Performance; School of Music

Among other achievements, McDonald, an accomplished trumpet player with a wide repertoire, wants to be known for cultivating a neurodiverse studio. Her bachelor’s degree is from Grand Valley State University, where she studied with US Army SFC Kevin Maloney (CFA’05,’08), and for her master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, she studied with Dr. Jason Bergman. After graduating, she worked as a full-time band director in public school districts, two years in Hattiesburg, Miss., and six years in Everett, Mass. During those eight years, McDonald has taught marching band, concert band, chamber ensembles, and private lessons.

Sydney Hovasse (CFA’25)BFA Theatre Arts, Costume Design; School of Theatre

Hovasse’s costume design credits include BU School of Theatre productions of Emilia (2025) and Entry, or you think you know me (2024), BU Opera Institute productions of La Clemenza di Tito (2024) and Alice Tierney (2023), and a Boston Center for the Arts production of Mother May I? (2022). Hovasse has also worked as an assistant costume designer, craftsperson, and alterations assistant for many other productions at BU. She has been especially invigorated by working on productions that uplift stories of women, and in the future she hopes for the opportunity to select projects that reflect her dedication to female empowerment.

Gregg Wiggans (CFA’25)MFA Directing; School of Theatre

Wiggans has a host of directing credits under his belt. At Boston University: The Rink, One Penny Down, Hedda Gabler, Collective Rage, Almost Maine, and BU Fringe Festival works. Previously, Wiggans was the directing fellow at Kenyon Playwrights Conference and served as artistic associate at the two-time Tony Award–winning National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. He plans to build the Boston Pipeline: Innovative Methods for Creation and Production of American Theater, a program designed to grow a sustainable platform for emerging playwrights, designers, actors, and directors.

Gabriel Joy Reid (CFA’25)MFA Visual Narrative, School of Visual Arts

Reid, originally from Kansas City, Kans., is a cartoonist, animator, and educator. Currently living and working in Massachusetts, they graduated from Northeastern University with a BA in film and animation (2023) and from Boston University with an MFA in visual narrative (2025). From superheroes to social justice, and from sci-fi to slice-of-life, Reid strives to bring joy, knowledge, and hope to anyone who reads their work. Reid is also the founder of Sunflower Workshop, a nonprofit media production, art education, and publishing company dedicated to creating and curating diverse, high-quality stories for kids, teens, and young adults.

Anthony Venturi (CFA’25)BFA Painting; School of Visual Arts

Born and raised in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Venturi explores landscape through sustained investigation and material intimacy. He received a certificate in landscape and observational painting from Mount Gretna School of Art. His current practice is concerned with providing viewers with the tactile experience of the natural world. An interest in ecological art practices led him to cofound the CFA Color Garden, where sustainable arts practices are researched and shared with the broader BU campus.