Leonard Earl Howze is a 1995 Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He's an alumnus of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and received his BFA in Acting/Theater Arts from the State University of New York, Theater/Acting Conservatory at Purchase College. 

In April 2018 he graced the stage in the Lone Tree Arts Center's stunning production of August Wilson's award winning play, Fences. Although Theater is Leonard's foundation, upon graduating, his commercial, film & television career took off. He's been seen in numerous national commercials, and made his feature film debut in the box office hit 'Barbershop'.

Benjamin Pila is the only classical guitarist ever named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Pila has performed extensively throughout the United States at venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center in New York City, the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Herbst Theater in San Francisco.

Pila is a semi-regular performer at the 9/11 Memorial Museum where he’s performed for Pope Francis, three U.S. presidents, and has played on programs with James Taylor, Paul Simon, Itzhak Perlman, and Yo-Yo Ma. Pila’s debut CD, Commemoration, contains music he performed at the museum and is a tribute to the survivors and victims of 9/11.