WASHINGTON, 2015-7-8 — /EPR Retail News/ — Summer vacation just got better for 25 graduate and undergraduate students from across the country as the NRF Foundation today announced its list of Ray Greenly Scholarship semi-finalists. These semi-finalists are now in the running to be named a finalist and potential recipient of either a $10,000 or $25,000 scholarship. The five finalists will be recognized and the top recipient announced in front of thousands of their peers, retail executives and industry leaders at the Shop.org Digital Summit in Philadelphia in October.
The Ray Greenly Scholarship provides financial support to students pursuing a degree in fields most relevant to the rapidly-growing careers in digital retail such as engineering, communications, marketing, business, e-commerce and economics.
“The retail industry is especially unique when it comes to careers in the digital arena, giving passionate individuals the opportunity to make a difference in the future of innovation in ways no other industry can,” said NRF Foundation Executive Director and NRF Senior Vice President Ellen Davis. “These students have a long list of qualities that we think will make them leaders wherever they may end up. We are incredibly excited to recognize their hard work and know we’ll see great things from all of them.”
As part of the application process, each recipient was required to submit a case study project in addition to two essays on their career aspirations and retail innovations. The case study allowed the students to showcase their ideas on how retailers can improve their omnichannel strategies.
Dozens of retail executives are involved in selecting the finalists based on the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit demonstrated in their submitted applications. Following the initial selection, a panel of executive judges, who will convene during the Shop.org Digital Summit, will interview the five finalists to determine the four $10,000 scholarship recipients and the top $25,000 scholarship recipient.
The following students have been named semi-finalists for the 2015 Ray Greenly Scholarship. To learn more about them, visit https://nrf.com/career-center/scholarships/ray-greenly-scholarship/class-of-2015.
Margaret Brown (Flower Mound, TX)
University of North Texas, Digital Retailing and Merchandising
Louise Dees (Cincinnati, OH)
Xavier University, MBA
Nichole Fallis (Helotes, TX)
University of North Texas, Digital Retailing and Merchandising
Mariana Flores Sosa (Savannah, GA)
Savannah College of Art and Design, Fashion Marketing and Management
Morgan Ginn (Deltona, FL)
University of Florida, Marketing
Taylar Gomez (Friendswood, TX)
University of North Texas, Digital Retailing and Merchandising
Christopher Gray (Pittsburgh, PA)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MBA
Shannon Hamilton (Houston, TX)
Northwestern University, MBA
Elizabeth Jarabek (Allen, TX)
Texas A&M University, Management
Lexis Kambour (Long Valley, NJ)
University of Delaware, Fashion Merchandising
Emily Kuebker (San Antonio, TX)
Texas A&M University, Marketing
Hayley Larson (Fountain, MN)
Savannah College of Art and Design, Fashion Marketing and Management
Ashley Lo (Sugar Land, TX)
Savannah College of Art and Design, Fashion Marketing and Management
Grace Luo (New York, NY)
Fashion Institute of Technology, Fashion Merchandising and Management
Jennifer Phiri (Strongsville, OH)
Kent State University, Fashion Merchandising
Marcy Plefka (Hurst, TX)
University of North Texas, Digital Retailing and Merchandising
Joseph Quan (San Marino, CA)
University of Pennsylvania, MBA
Matthew Rudin (Dix Hills, NY)
University of Pennsylvania, Economics
Alexandria Seay (Florissant, MO)
Lindenwood University, Masters in Communications
Danielle Sosalski (Philadelphia, PA)
LIM College, Fashion Merchandising
Lori Teich (Beachwood, OH)
Northwestern University, Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications
Amanda Tobias (Bradenton, FL)
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Business Management
Marta Wangard (Brookfield, WI)
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Retail and Entrepreneurship
Sophia Wilson (Plainfield, IN)
Savannah College of Art and Design, Fashion Marketing and Management
Jacy Witt (Carrollton, TX)
Texas A&M University, Marketing
The Ray Greenly Scholarship was established to honor the memory of a former Shop.org vice president who lost his battle with cancer in the fall of 2005. His generous and kind spirit inspired NRF to establish a scholarship that provides financial support to students pursuing a degree in fields most relevant to digital retail such as engineering, computer science, marketing, business, e-commerce and economics.
The NRF Foundation is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the National Retail Federation, shaping retail’s future by building awareness of the industry through statistics and stories; developing talent through education, experiences and scholarships; and fostering career growth among people who work in retail. https://nrf.com/who-we-are/nrf-foundation
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Treacy Reynolds
press@nrf.com
(855) NRF-Press