Eight Mays Business School students have been named 2017 YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund recipients, winning $40,000 in scholarships.
Established in 1937, the Young Menswear Association (YMA) Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) is the premier educational fashion non-profit in the United States. FSF offers scholarships to the best and brightest students seeking business, technology and design careers in the fashion industry.
Cheryl Bridges, adjunct professor of marketing at Mays, teaches the Advanced Retail Case Study course (MKTG 426). She said the advanced retail case study course is designed to challenge each student to “use critical thinking to develop a business plan that is both viable and creative providing financial and marketing solutions.” The class is part of the certificate in retailing curriculum through the Center for Retailing Studies.
Students evaluated the recent partnership between Etsy, an online marketplace for selling and buying unique goods, and Macy’s – the 159 year-old chain. To combat the trend of successful sellers leaving the site, Etsy Manufacturing, it opened The Etsy Shop at Macy’s Herald Square. This gave Etsy sellers physical store space at one of America’s busiest and famous department stores. The partnership also allowed Macy’s an assortment of artisanal products that many millennials desire.
Students were asked to (1) identify the end-use customer the collaboration should target and (2) identify Etsy sellers who would create the most demand. By envisioning their role as the Director of Special Merchandising Projects at Macy’s, they also developed a marketing campaign and six-month financial plan for The Etsy Shop.
https://today.tamu.edu/2016/11/21/mays-executive-leadership-program-combines-business-and-athletic-leadership/
In total, 229 students were selected out of 569 applications from 58 schools, including Cornell, University of California-Berkeley, FIT-Fashion Institute of Technology and the Wharton School of Business.
Each winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship and will travel to New York City in January to be recognized at a formal awards gala. The scholarship also guarantees a fashion internship in New York City during the summer 2017.
Bridges and the eight scholarship recipients network with over 1,500 executives, including influential fashion designers, retail CEOs and top manufacturer brands.
Texas A&M University has been recognized in the top 10 percent of universities across the country for having the most winners. Since 2012, FSF has awarded 35 scholarships to Mays Business School students, totaling $175,000.
2017 Scholarship Recipients:
- Leslie Bonorden, Marketing ’18
- Loryn Setterquist, Business Honors ’18
- Alex Marks, Marketing ’18
- Tori Kloeppel, Supply Chain Management ’17
- Sarah Stroup, Business Honors/Marketing ’17
- Frances Uzoukwu, Marketing ’17
- Riden Reiter, Marketing ’17
- Tess Williamson, Marketing ’17
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This article originally appeared on Mays Impacts.
Photo: Shutterstock.com
