The National Retail Federation Foundation today announced this year’s top five finalists for its Next Generation Scholarship program, which provides financial support to college students pursuing careers or majors relevant to retail. The finalists will travel to New York City, where they will interview with a panel of retail executives who will award four $10,000 scholarships and one $25,000 scholarship.
The top recipient will be announced on stage in front of hundreds of retail CEOs and insiders at the NRF Foundation Gala on January 15 during Retail’s BIG Show.
“Each year we are impressed by the caliber of students that apply for this scholarship and their level of creativity and passion towards retail,” NRF Foundation Executive Director Ellen Davis said. “Through their essays, this year’s finalists demonstrated excitement, innovation, leadership, and passion that is very crucial in shaping the future of the retail industry.”
The finalists are:
Jill Davis, University of Georgia
Makaela Hill, Indiana University
Margaret Kwon, The New School – Parsons School of Design
Danielle Mennella, LIM College
Kaley Suero, University of Pennsylvania
In addition to the top finalist awards, the NRF Foundation provides all 20 semi-finalists with travel scholarships to attend the NRF Student Program at Retail’s BIG Show and the NRF Foundation Gala.
The semi-finalists are:
Elizabeth Dumont, Auburn University
Savannah Kleiner, Butler University
Victoria Shibly, Columbia College Chicago
Hannah Patrick, Drexel University
Matthew Talbot, East Carolina University
Sarah Botscheller, Kent State University
Megan Miller, Lasell College
Gabrielle Martinez, Mississippi State University
Ariana Frankel, Santa Clara University
Crystal Paris, Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta
Alyssa McKinzie, Texas A&M University
Traum-Anh Nguyen, Texas State University-San Marcos
Christian Sopoco, Texas Woman’s University
Laura Martinez, University of Alabama
Brenna McKeown, University of Florida
Samantha Pineda, University of Georgia
Brenna Schlauderaff, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Lisa Liu, University of Pennsylvania
Leah Jenkins, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Rita Roloff, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Over 500 students are expected to attend the January 13-15 Student Program, which exposes students to executives from some of the industry's most popular brands such as Disney, The Home Depot, Macy’s, West Elm and Nike. Students will hear from retail recruiters offering opportunities for internships, training programs and entry-level career positions and will learn to leverage their networks to advance their careers through an executive mentor session.
