2023-2024 Scholarship Winners

Isabelle Rosa Picked to Receive Jacqueline & Russell Pomeranz Academic Scholarship

ITM is proud to announce that Isabelle Rosa was selected from an exceptional pool of applicants as the fourth recipient of the Jacqueline and Russell Pomeranz ITM scholarship. The scholarship was established by the Pomeranz family in honor of their beloved mother and brother/husband, along with other generous donors, in the spring 2020 term.

The Selection Committee included ITM advisory board members, Marc D. Schein, National Co-Chair Cyber Center of Excellence, Marsh & McLennan Agency and Prof. Elizabeth Hodur, Assistant Vice President of International Trade at Ascena and ITM’1992.

Isabelle was selected as most closely identifying with the spirit of the scholarship and its honorees. In addition to her excellent academic accomplishments and penchant for journalism, Isabelle is passionate about giving back to the community, contributing to attaining the goals of the International Trade Student Association, grew up listening to classical music, interned at a music publicity and marketing communications firm, attended music festivals, biked, loved yoga, and was a rock climbing instructor.

Isabelle drew inspiration from her grandfather, who was a freight forwarder in the shipping industry and regaled the family with stories of his international experience and the clothes he bought for family members from his trips. She believes this has translated into an enthusiasm for the “in-depth” ITM course work that broadened her outlook of the fashion industry and highlighted how global issues impact business. Isabelle relishes “learning about how to communicate with international clients, negotiate business deals in importing and exporting, and how to make crucial decisions using marketing strategies while factoring in cultural aspects.”

After graduating from ITM, Isabelle plans to pursue a career with a company or brand initially as a logistics specialist, international production coordinator, or project coordinator to take part in the planning and acquisition of fabrics and materials, then eventually evolve into a sustainability specialist or compliance inspector. Equipped with a flair for communication and team building, Isabelle also sees herself as a project leader. In his recommendation of Isabelle, Prof. Lawrence Delson indicated that she “performed particularly well in the class project that involved business negotiations with students from an international university. In this project, she displayed intelligence and the nuances necessary to succeed in international business.”

Over the medium-term, Isabelle aspires to combine her creative and business acumen to develop her own sustainable fashion business while working with discarded or donated fabrics and reusing scraps to breathe “new life” into them.

We hope that you will all join us in congratulating Isabelle as ITM’s fourth Jacqueline and Russell Pomeranz ITM scholar!

Isabelle Rosa Chosen to Receive Gemini Shippers Association Academic Scholarship

Isabelle Rosa We are pleased to announce that the Scholarship Selection Committee, comprised of Arlene L. Blocker, Membership Director of Gemini Shippers Group; Esther Murray, Principal Administrative Associate of NYC Department of Finance and ITM’2012, as well as Victoria Selg, Wholesale Logistics Coordinator of Slip Silk and ITM'2020, has chosen Isabelle Rosa as the recipient of the 2023‐2024 Gemini Shippers Association Academic Scholarship in the amount of $3,800.

Gemini Shippers Association is a long‐time supporter of ITM students, having donated more than $166,000 to the ITM program. Gemini was also chosen by the New York District Export Council as recipient of its Global Logistics Award.

The Selection Committee recognized Isabelle primarily for her confidence, enthusiasm, passion, and grounded fortitude to pursue an international trade career. The committee was impressed with the depth of knowledge and detail Isabelle, a first year ITM student, expressed as she discussed her professional goals and desire to ultimately pay forward.

We hope that you will all join us in congratulating Isabelle as ITM’s new Gemini Shippers Association Academic scholar!

Two Students to Share PVH Corporation ITM Scholarships

ITM is proud to announce that Sunnie Kragel and Isabelle Rosa were selected as co-recipients of the 2023-2024 PVH Corp. ITM scholarships, funded by PVH Corp., the PVH Foundation, and other donors.

The Selection Committee included Rachael Flores, Director of Global University & Diversity Recruiting at PVH Corp.; Esther Murray, Principal Administrative Associate of NYC Department of Finance and ITM’2012; and Mabyani Dutra, Founder of DaCosta Verde, recipient of the PVH Corp. ITM scholarship in fiscal 2021 and ITM Medal Awardee in 2022.

The recipients impressed the Committee with their shared values with PVH, embracing the company’s ethics and sustainability goals, their demonstrated leadership, and the clarity of their career goals as they relate to ITM.

Sunnie has six years of retail experience with half of it spent in leadership positions. At Kindred in Overland, KS, she led a team, created an instagram marketing campaign, managed inventory levels and product flows, served customers, operated the point-of-sale systems, sourced a new product line for in-store and online sales conducted through market research analysis, styled outfits for Kansas City Fashion Week, and more. She was also Keyholder at Daisy Lee Vintage.

As an admirer of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger’s timeless fashion, Sunnie is inspired by the “hard work, sustainability, and forward-thinking” PVH has demonstrated through its initiatives and results. To manifest these principles, Sunnie aims to collaborate as an Economic Development Specialist with the Small Business Administration to support artists, designers, and small companies develop into successful exporting enterprises. To fulfill this dream, Sunnie plans to minor in Economics and become more active in FIT’s clubs.

Isabelle Rosa Isabelle drew inspiration from her grandfather, who was a freight forwarder in the shipping industry and regaled the family with stories of his international experience and the clothes he bought for family members from his trips. She believes this has translated into an enthusiasm for the “in-depth” ITM course work that broadened her outlook of the fashion industry and highlighted how global issues impact business. Isabelle relishes “learning about how to communicate with international clients, negotiate business deals in importing and exporting, and how to make crucial decisions using marketing strategies while factoring in cultural aspects.”

We hope that you will all join us in congratulating Sunnie and Isabelle as the new PVH Corp. ITM scholars!

Ralph Lauren Corporation and New Times Group 2024 Scholarships Awarded

Isabella Rodriguez, Hannah Lewis, and Lorry Lang to Split Ralph Lauren Corporation Scholarships; Leo Choi and Isabella Rosa to Share New Times Group Limited Scholarship

We are pleased to announce that our selection committee has chosen Isabella Rodriguez, Hannah Lewis, and Lorry Lang as co-recipients of the academic year 2024 Ralph Lauren Corp. ITM Scholarships while Leo Choi and Isabelle Rosa will share the New Times Group Scholarship. The scholarship recipients were selected based on their strong leadership qualities and superb communication skills, as well as their potential to become exemplary ambassadors of Ralph Lauren, New Times Group, and ITM.

The Selection Committee included Ashley Smalls, Early Career Talent Lead at Ralph Lauren Corp.; Pete Hagen, Director of Sourcing at Target Corporation; and Joanne Krakowski, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Māt and Remedy Denim as well as ITM’2007.

We hope that you will all join us in congratulating Isabella, Hannah, Lorry, Leo and Isabelle as our new scholars!

Ralph Lauren Corporation Scholarship Recipients

Isabella Rodriguez As an honors student in FIT’s Presidential Scholars program, Isabella has pursued several leadership initiatives to reflect her passion for preserving the environment. After reflecting on the effects of the pandemic, she co-founded NB Earth Talks, an environmental organization where she presented researched environmental initiatives at town meetings, raised money to donate trees to Hudson County, and built an Instagram presence to educate residents on environmental issues and inspire others to change. She was also a Social Media Intern at Teen Readers Society, Business Development Intern at TerraCycle, as well as Wholesale, Sales, and Marketing Intern at STIVALI New York.

Throughout her professional preparation, Isabella manifested lessons from her Ethics and Sustainability minor by working closely with town officials to push for a greener future in her county, enabled residents to recycle razor blades, toothbrushes, etc., and assisted FIT Student Government Association’s Sustainability Committee in establishing a flea market for students and employees to sell their clothes, accessories, and other goods. Isabella also tutored a young boy in Math while also engaging with him through watching Marvel movies, reading comic books, and going to record stores together. In addition, she volunteered at the Sierra Club where she went on nature walks and created a safe space to discuss environmental concerns. Furthermore, Isabella pitched in at the Office of Alumni Affairs events, overseeing the VIP entrance at the FIT gala and navigated the space at its Saks OFF 5th event.

Following her study abroad experience in Rome, Isabella hopes to continue traveling starting with the ITM practicum to Australia in Winter 2024. Upon graduation, Isabella aspires to work for mission-driven companies, such as GrowNYC, TerraCycle, and The Climate Reality Project, and is considering pursuing a law career as a means to deepen her involvement in sustainability.

Hannah Lewis Hannah is a Sales Lead Supervisor at Stuart Weitzman, where she implements sales strategies and builds long-term relationships with clients. Prior to this, as a Sales Associate and Employee Ambassador at Coach, she led the set up and maintenance of the store, scanned shipments, oversaw inventory, and worked with her team to generate seven-figure monthly sales.

Overcoming significant challenges early on in her life, Hannah learned to stand up for herself and evolved into a “bicultural, bilingual American-Chinese”. This semester alone, she has volunteered up to 45 hours in the launch of a small business e-commerce jewelry enterprise targeted to Gen Z consumers. She also helped to create social media content for a Talking Trade @ FIT event, promoted International Trade Student Association (ITSA) board membership and related volunteer opportunities, co-developed a visual quick reference incoterm diagram, and is selling high quality, gently used personal clothing online to donate to a shelter for victims of domestic violence. In her enthusiastic recommendation of Hannah, Prof. Sonja Chapman, highlighted the student’s leadership skills and contribution to ITSA as only a few of the many accomplishments she has witnessed.

After graduation, Hannah aspires to work as an international buyer, then spend full time with the above referenced e-commerce team. She also aims to invest in a Thailand-based non-profit company designed to lift women out of human trafficking through providing shelter, vocational training, job placement, and mental health services.

Lorry Lang Lorry was a Public Relations Intern at Proenza Schouler, Studio Intern at Patti Wilson and Christian Cowan, and Stylist at Club Monaco as well as FIT’s Blush magazine. She has also provided academic support as a member of the Asian Student Network. As a “Stark Unboxing Your Life” Video Scholarship winner and Film minor student, Lorry wrote a screenplay, directed a cast and crew of eight members, and finalized the film in post-production.

Lorry has been volunteering at Brownstone Cowboys Magazine where she is involved in local and global politics and fashion sustainability activism. She is collaborating with an artist to launch a fashion brand while writing her first feature-length screenwriting, which she plans to adapt into a short film. She hopes to develop her brand while applying lessons from her ITM major.

New Times Group Scholarship Recipients

Leo Choi Leo was recognized for his exceptional academic achievement, fervor to overcome challenges before him, and identification with Ralph Lauren as one of his favorite brands, quoting the company’s core values, “be passionate”, “work hard”, and “love what you do” as guiding principles in his professional development. He also hopes to gain from his American and South Korean backgrounds as he aspires to eventually launch his own brand. He is enthusiastic about the “importance of international trade in terms of global supply chains” and connect such lessons to the changes he could effect to improve society.

Leo volunteers at New York Cares, an organization that coordinates team-based, flexibly scheduled volunteer projects in partnership with a wide variety of nonprofit agencies. He has worked as a Picker/Packer for Style Nanda, which L’Oreal acquired in South Korea, and learned about stock management and logistics first hand there. Upon graduation Leo plans to work as an import/export specialist to learn an established company’s best practices before turning to manage his own menswear brand. In his recommendation of Leo, Prof. Lawrence Delson confirmed the student’s commitment to the industry and as a most deserving candidate for the scholarship.