ChrisColferNews

I’m not sure anyone on Earth could give Naya Rivera the tribute she deserves.

In fact, the process of losing her has been such a nightmare, I find myself wondering if Naya was even real or if she was just a dream all along. How could a human being be that talented, that hilarious and that beautiful at once? How could one person be responsible for so much joy and be the subject of so many wonderful memories?

When Naya sang, you could feel her soul resonating through your own. Her voice would break your heart in one chorus, only to rebuild it in the next. Watching her perform was like watching magic unfold before your eyes. Naya didn’t just sing a song. She brought it to life. And with every note, she exposed the old sage living inside her young body.

As an actress, Naya could tell a whole story with one expression. It didn’t matter how outrageous the plot was, she spoke with so much authenticity, she made you believe every word she said, and often, you’d forget she was acting at all. Her heroic and groundbreaking portrayal of Santana Lopez on “Glee” inspired millions of young people around the world, especially in the LGBTQIA community, and it will be treasured for generations to come.

Naya also had a superhuman ability to memorize scripts. With one glance, she would know all her lines and yours — which came in handy when you acted alongside her. Sometimes, I’d become so lost in Naya’s performance, I’d forget I was in the scene with her. Even when her character was tearing mine to shreds, I couldn’t help but respect how brilliantly she delivered the insults.

When someone is as talented as Naya, saying she was also one of the funniest and most quotable people that I’ve ever met sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s the absolute truth. Naya could defuse a bomb with a witty remark. Her comebacks and quips were legendary, and I used to follow her around set, jotting down everything she said into my phone.

On particularly rough days of filming, you might find her outside enjoying a cigarette in her bright red cheerleading uniform. She would raise an invisible glass and say, “To being role models!” or “City of dreams, huh?”

Whenever the “Glee” cast commiserated about the demanding shooting schedule, Naya would instantly cheer us up with a line like, “Gosh, this internship blows!” or “Guys, we know what we signed up for. The first person to guess the mole gets the cash.”

Even after an eighteen-hour day of singing and dancing, when mustering a smile felt impossible, Naya could make you laugh out loud. Once, during a heated exchange between an actor and a director, I’ll never forget her turning to me with a cheeky grin and asking, “Is this a bad time to tell someone the DVD player in my trailer isn’t working?”

As a friend, you could talk to her about anything. She was the cool older sister you went to for advice, to blow off steam, or to get the hottest take on the latest gossip. Just being in Naya’s presence made you feel protected and regardless of the situation, you knew she’d have your back. She was never afraid to stand up to authority, she always called out mistreatment where she saw it and she always told you the truth — even when it was hard to hear.

For as long as I’ve known Naya, the thing she wanted most in life was to be a mother. She spent hours telling us what she was going to name her kids, how she was going to dress them and all the free babysitting she’d bamboozle out of us. When her son Josey was born in 2015, it was like a missing piece of Naya had finally arrived. Their connection was magnetic, their affection was radiant and I’ve never seen a person look happier than when Naya gushed over her little boy.

Being a mom was perhaps Naya’s greatest talent of all, and as her final moments proved, Naya was an extraordinary mother until the very end.

Naya leaves behind a void that only Naya herself could fill. To have a friend like her, even briefly, is to be blessed beyond belief. She is a shining example of the impact a person can have when one lives fearlessly. Her loss is a tragic reminder to celebrate every moment we possibly can with the people we love because the only thing we know for certain about life is how fragile it can be.

chriscolfer How can you convey all your love and respect for someone in one post? How can you summarize a decade of friendship and laughter with words alone? If you were friends with Naya Rivera, you simply can’t. Her brilliance and humor were unmatched. Her beauty and talent were otherworldly. She spoke truth to power with poise and fearlessness. She could turn a bad day into a great day with a single remark. She inspired and uplifted people without even trying. Being close to her was both a badge of honor and a suit of armor. Naya was truly one of a kind, and she always will be.

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'Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins and 'Captain Underpants' author David Pilkey are also set to take part in the June 4 ceremony, traditionally held at Carnegie Hall.

Though the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is normally held at the world-famous Carnegie Hall, amid the novel coronavirus, the ceremony is getting the virtual treatment with a few stars set to participate in the celebration.

Jennifer Garner, Lena Dunham and Glee star and author of The Land of Stories series Chris Colfer are set to join and congratulate the winners of the 2020 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, in a virtual ceremony set to take place on June 4.

New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Dav Pilkey (Dog Man, Captain Underpants) and New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games) are also set to make an appearance to participate in a special 100th Anniversary tribute to the title sponsor, Scholastic Inc. The event will also include additional surprise guests, poetry readings from this year’s National Student Poets, and a chance to see selections and hear excerpts from award-winning pieces of art and writing.

"The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have a strong tradition of honoring innovation and creativity among student artists and writers," said Christopher Wisniewski, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. "These young people have produced works that take risks, speak truth to power, find beauty in the mundane, and start crucial conversations about our society. Their accomplishments remind us that no matter what’s going on in the world, the future looks bright. We are proud to honor them with this recognition, hoping that by opening up the ceremony on a virtual stage, the world can share in our congratulations as well."

Amid the pandemic, for the first time, this year the national celebration for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards will take place exclusively online. With this virtual shift, Gold and Silver medalists can share their experience in real time.

Works were selected from approximately 320,000 submissions from students in every state in the nation. Teens in grades 7-12, ages 13 and up, from the U.S., Canada, and American schools abroad were eligible for national honors. Nearly 3,000 works of art and writing received national medals for this year's awards.

The Alliance provides more than $300,000 in scholarships annually to top Awards recipients and partners with esteemed colleges and universities to make scholarships available for college-bound National Medalists.

Past recipients of the Awards include Stephen King, John Updike, Kay WalkingStick, Charles White, Joyce Carol Oates, Tschabalala Self, Zac Posen, and Andy Warhol.