“When I won, I felt like the wind was knocked out of me, I could barely stand,” said Joanne Kim ’17 upon hearing she had received the $10,000 Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship as part of the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund. “I immediately shared the news with my mom and then reveled in the moment with everyone that helped me along the way.”

The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund, established nearly 80 years ago, strives to advance the fashion industry by encouraging talented, creative young people to pursue careers in the field. The 2017 Geoffrey Beene Scholarship case studies focused on the fashion industry’s impact on the environment and required students to create a sustainability program that not only fit the objectives of a mass retailer but also impacted the greater fashion industry.

Human Ecology Magazine - Spring 2017