IU fashion scholarship honors students in New York City

Three IU students have been awarded scholarships from the YMA Fashion Scholarships Fund to help further their careers in the fashion industry.
  
Senior Becca Murrow, junior Marissa Zappia and sophomore Emily Colman will each receive a $5,000 scholarship and will attend the 2010 Fashion Scholarship Fund’s Geoffrey Beene Fashion Scholarship Dinner on Jan. 13 in NYC. 

“The goal of the FSF is to advance the fashion industry by encouraging gifted and enterprising young people to pursue careers in design, merchandising, retailing and business,” Colman said. “I’m delighted they know there are three of us here at IU.”

The Fashion Scholarship Fund Board of Directors, many of whom are senior executives for various companies, serve as internship facilitators and career mentors for fashion world hopefuls. Each of the girls was assigned a mentor to help facilitate internship and networking opportunities.

Eloise Paul, senior lecturer in the department of apparel merchandising, accompanied the students to New York City, where Fashion Scholarship Fund is located.
Paul said the achievement goes far beyond just looking good on their resumes.

“It was thrilling to see the students walk into the dinner and be recognized by a sold-out crowd of almost 1,000 fashion industry executives,” she said. “Receiving the FSF scholarship will open many doors for these three. This event really highlights the commitment the retail industry has to students and future industry leaders.”

The $850 airfare was covered, as well as the $1,000 Gala Dinner on Jan. 13 at Cipriani Restaurant.

It was the second-highest grossing event in the FSF’s 73-year history, raising $1.4 million for the 110 fashion scholars in attendance from 28 schools nationwide. It will also go on record as the highest recorded attendance rate for any charity event in Cipriani history, according to a press release.

“The FSF dinner was amazing and like nothing I had ever been to before,” said Zappia. “The professionals made you feel like you were so important and congratulated us so many times.”

Murrow called the experience one of the most nerve-racking of her life, but said it is something she will never forget.

“It was an honor to be there and really inspiring as the reality of starting my career gets closer,” she said. “It was also great to see how supportive the entire fashion industry is in fostering the students who they see as future leaders of the industry.”

Murrow, who was also one of eight $25,000 Geoffrey Beene Scholarship finalists, was grateful for the opportunity to attend and present her work.

“There is really no dollar value you can put on it,” Murrow said. “I love the retail industry because it has so much more to offer than the ‘Project Runway’ hype. It has a lot of energy and endless opportunities.”

Zappia and Colman both said the experience will be of invaluable importance for their future.

“It has inspired me to work even harder towards my goals,” Colman said. “I think people underestimate themselves too often, making excuses for why things don’t work out. But if you keep an open mind, work hard and stay positive, you will see success.”

Zappia says she has mentioned or been asked about the scholarship on every interview she has been in since winning.

“I have noticed that recruiters in the retail industry are very impressed by the scholarship,” she said. “They are extremely interested in working with a YMA scholar.”

After graduation this May, Murrow will be taking a position as Merchandise Planning Business Analyst at Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis.

Zappia will be interning at Ross Stores in NYC this summer, and Colman said she sees herself working in the corporate offices of an eco-friendly business in NYC in the future.