ASU FIDM No. 2 school in nation for Fashion Scholarship Fund awardees

The Fashion Scholarship Fund’s Class of 2026 includes 11 ASU FIDM students, making ASU FIDM the No. 2 school in the nation for FSF awardees, ahead of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design and UCLA.

The Fashion Scholarship Fund works with the country’s most talented fashion students and awards more than $1.9 million each year in scholarships to foster success in all sectors of the industry, including design and product development, merchandising, marketing and business strategy.

This is the fourth year ASU FIDM has participated in the Fashion Scholarship Fund. In its first year, three students won, and each year since that number has grown. For the Class of 2025, ASU FIDM was also the second-highest school in awardees with 10 ASU FIDM students. Previous winners have gone on to land internships and jobs at LVMH, LOEWE, Anthropologie and Ross Inc. and have worked backstage on major tours like Doechii, Jessie Murph and Beyoncé.

Julie Anstadt-Hernandez, who graduated from ASU FIDM last spring, credits the Fashion Scholarship Fund for helping her land a coveted internship at a luxury brand. 

“I really want to highlight how grateful I am for the Fashion Scholarship Fund and all the doors it’s opened for me,” she said. “Taking the case study prep class with Dr. Danielle Testa truly changed my life in ways I never imagined. I was in college for 10 years, and as someone who never applied for scholarships out of fear of rejection ... being flown out to New York City to receive my award was surreal.”

This year’s winners included students from across both ASU FIDM’s Downtown Phoenix location and its Los Angeles location in the LA Fashion District. The Fashion Scholarship Fund Class of 2026 students from ASU FIDM are Bryce Propst, Angelina Woodall, Avalonne Wiliams, Brielle Cohen, Monse Naravaroo, Tammy Nguyen, Tiffany Hutcherson and Krista Greco. Kristian Perkins, Kyndahl Williams and Fiona Otto were also selected and were all named Virgil Abloh “Post–Modern” Scholars.

This year, each ASU FIDM student won $10,000 and can attend the Fashion Scholarship Fund Gala, known as #FSFLive, in New York this March. The fund also has named scholarships in partnership with select brands; those will be announced in the coming months.

“As someone who has struggled with affording college in the past, I am forever grateful to the Fashion Scholarship Fund for helping me move toward my dreams,” said second-time winner Cohen, a fashion minor at ASU FIDM and a marketing major at the W. P. Carey School of Business. “Through FSF, I have been able to afford school, have career opportunities and feel supported professionally.”

Cohen also found support from ASU FIDM faculty while working on the case study required for the scholarship application.

“Danielle Testa has been so supportive with my work for the Fashion Scholarship Fund,” she said. “She gives some of the strongest advice, so I left each meeting feeling motivated and overflowing with ideas. Other professors like Leslie Bush and Lisa Shrigley have also been such a pleasure to hear feedback from. They know so much about the industry so talking to them has pushed me to keep going and to think big.”

Cohen’s business strategy case study looked into challenges facing luxury brands. She used a collaboration between Louis Vuitton and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection to find ways to leverage Vuitton’s heritage while remaining exciting and innovative.

Other ASU students’ case studies included integrating plant-based materials and creating a collaboration to show how cinema and fragrance can produce a multisensory storytelling experience.

“The combination of marketing and design classes I’ve taken here gave me the tools to think strategically and creatively, which allowed me to approach the scholarship application with both a strong concept and a professional presentation,” said Otto, who also credited the ASU FIDM Fashion Case Studies course and “incredible guidance” from faculty Daniel Toney and Testa.

Greco said the Fashion Scholarship Fund is beneficial to students in ways beyond the financial support and that ASU FIDM’s participation is another way the school sets students up for success beyond graduation.

“It opens the door to so many amazing opportunities that can shape careers,” she said. “It’s not just about the scholarship but also the access, experience and being taken seriously as an emerging designer or creative.”

Cohen agreed, noting that each FSF winner gets an industry mentor for the year and the opportunity to expand their fashion network.

“My mentor worked for WWD, and she helped me learn about what I am looking for in a job and build my network,” Cohen said. “Thanks to the Fashion Scholarship Fund, I was able to land an internship and talk to recruiters before applications opened.

“On top of all this, I have met so many other scholars who are motivated and inspire each other to pursue their dreams. It truly is a lifelong experience.”