SCAD Secures Record Number of National Fashion Scholarship Awards

SAVANNAH, Ga., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) announced that 20 students from the School of Fashion earned scholarships from the Young Menswear Association (YMA) Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF). These $5,000 scholarships are given in recognition of exemplary student work that seeks to advance the fashion industry in both business and design.

"YMA scholarships honor the brightest sartorial stars-on-the-rise, and SCAD students create a veritable constellation of brilliance," said SCAD President Paula Wallace. "Each year, SCAD fashion programs distinguish themselves, and these SCAD scholars are charting a course for astronomical success."

SCAD students received a record-setting 20 YMA scholarships this year, representing the highest number of scholarships for any university in a single year in the program's 80-year history. SCAD scholarship recipients include students from the fashion and fashion marketing and management programs, offered in Savannah, Atlanta and Hong Kong.

To be considered for the annual award, applicants must complete a case study on a topic designated by YMA. In addition to the submission, scholarships are awarded based on merit, GPAs, personal essays and interviews with YMA FSF ambassadors.

SCAD Young Menswear Association Fashion Scholarship Fund recipients:

Chloe Ayoub (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Savannah
Talia Blyer (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Savannah
Esther Boller (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Savannah
Andrea Cabrera (B.F.A., fashion, junior) Atlanta
Natrika Charoenkitnapa (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Savannah
Natsima Charoenkitnapa (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Savannah
Ce'Erica Roland Ferguson (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, senior) Atlanta
Nancy Gubbala (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Savannah
Alexis Houpt (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Atlanta
Laura London (B.F.A., fashion, junior) Atlanta
Kianna McCalla (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, senior) Atlanta
Rikki Raiford (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Atlanta
Mikenna Rase (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, senior) Savannah
Akilah Robertson (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Atlanta
Grace Rokela (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, senior) Savannah
Sheila Ruiz (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Atlanta
Kristie Sales (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Savannah
Emilie Schroeder (B.F.A., fashion, senior) Savannah
Sarah Therrien (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, junior) Savannah
Kayla Williams (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, senior) Atlanta

Founded in 1937, the YMA is an international nonprofit organization composed of influential members in the fashion industry. Each year, the program recognizes talented and enterprising individuals poised to advance the fashion industry, pursuing careers in design, merchandising, retailing and business. Over the past decade, over $20 million has been collected by the fund, including a $1 million gift from the Estate of Geoffrey Beene and more than $5 million from the Geoffrey Beene Foundation.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited university conferring bachelor's and master's degrees at distinctive locations to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in 43 majors. SCAD also offers minors in more than 70 disciplines. With 32,000 alumni worldwide, SCAD is known as a thought leader, preparing graduates for professional success.

At locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning, the diverse student body consists of nearly 13,000 students, from across the United States and over 100 countries. SCAD's innovative curriculum is enhanced by advanced, professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources. Curricular collaborations with companies and organizations including Google and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) affirm the professional currency SCAD champions in its degree programs.

The university, students, faculty and alumni have garnered acclaim from respected organizations and publications worldwide including five consecutive years of No. 1 rankings for the undergraduate interior design program by Design Intelligence, 2015 ranking among the top five universities in the Americas and Europe by Red Dot, and the No. 1 graduate fashion program in the U.S. as determined by London-based Business of Fashion.

For more information, visit scad.edu or the official SCAD blog.

SOURCE Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)