Barrett Honors College student Avery Wright pushing to new heights with Fitzgerald Family Scholarship

Avery Wright, a senior in Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, is pursuing lots of interests.

She is an ASU Tillman Scholar majoring in sports business and marketing and is on the ASU women’s rugby team. She led a team that created the National Collegiate Pickleball Invitational based in Mesa, Ariz.

She is president of the Sports Business Scholars at ASU, and has served as director of philanthropy and professional development specialist for the W.P. Carey School of Business Council, and as a W.P. Carey Sports Business Advisory Board student leader.

She is a Principled Leader in the W.P. Carey School, a designation for student club leaders that form a network to understand, infuse, and benefit from the ASU Principled Innovation aspiration. She also is part of the Spirit of Service Scholars in the ASU Ed Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service, a program for students passionate about public service leadership and advocacy and involved in promoting awareness in positive community change and public policy issues.

As a recipient of the Fitzgerald Family Scholarship and the professional mentoring that comes with it, Wright is pulling all of these interests together in preparation for graduate school. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in business administration.

The Fitzgerald Family Scholarship is tailored for Barrett Honors College junior business or pre-med majors planning for graduate studies in their senior year.

The scholarship offers financial assistance with senior year expenses and mentorship from members of the Fitzgerald family who established the scholarship – including siblings Brett, Chase, Scott and Jenna Fitzgerald who all graduated ASU with honors from Barrett Honors College.

Scholarship applications open November 1 for the 2025-26 academic year.

“The greatest benefit I have taken from the Fitzgerald community has been the support from the siblings themselves. Brett has personally helped to recommend organizations that align with my goals,” she said. 

“Additionally, the ability to learn more about different post-grad opportunities has been very beneficial,” Wright added.

Wright aspires to work in sports business and make a positive impact on the industry.

“I believe the Fitzgerald Scholarship has been a huge part of inspiring me to reach out to new people and learn about purpose-driven organizations in sports,” she said.

What advice does Wright have for students applying for the Fitzgerald Scholarship?

“To students applying to the Fitzgerald Scholarship, I would say to embrace every cracked door and be willing to explore untapped areas, even if it is scary. This is all about people doing unique things and pushing to new heights!”