OSU Apparel Design Students Receive National Scholarships

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Three College of Human Sciences’ Design, Housing and Merchandising students received the experience of a lifetime when they were chosen to receive three $5,000 scholarships through the Young Menswear Association Foundation Scholarship Fund. Apparel design students Christine Corbin, junior, from Jenks, Okla., and seniors Bonnie Nabors, Tulsa, Okla., and Moriah Slavens from Clover, S.C., were honored with 131 other scholarship recipients at the Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship Awards Dinner in January at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

The rigorous application process for the scholarship begins in the fall and ends in December, when students are selected by some of the top names in fashion to receive a $5,000 scholarship and fashion mentorship

“I now realize how interconnected and dynamic the industry really is. I can really see what I have learned here at OSU take shape in possible career opportunities,” Nabors said.

The scholarship recipients were also given the unique opportunity to attend an internship fair in order to connect with industry representatives and discover summer internship opportunities.

“It was so incredible to speak with industry professionals who were interested in the work that I am doing. The experience was very humbling and also rewarding,” Slavens said. “I kept reminding myself how incredible it was that everyone was genuinely interested in us as students and saw us as the embodiment of the future to the fashion and apparel industry.”

“My favorite part of the experience was definitely the awards banquet at the Waldorf. The whole evening was completely surreal,” Corbin said. “The ballroom the banquet was held in was gorgeous, and Karlie Kloss--a really important super model right now--was one of the speakers! It was a lovely evening.”

Christine Corbin will be eligible to compete for an additional $30,000 scholarship upon her return to YMA next year.

The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund is a national non-profit association consisting of influential members of the fashion community. They are dedicated to promoting education of the fashion arts and business by granting scholarships to talented students and facilitating internships, mentorships and career programs. The Fashion Scholarship Fund is wholly committed to its mission of recruiting, nurturing and cultivating the best students from its member schools so they become the next generation of leaders in the fashion industry.