Seven out of Hostos’ eight VF Foundation X FSF Community College Scholarships recipients strike a stylish pose.
After throwing their fashionable hats into the ring, eight standout Hostos Community College students have been selected to receive VF Foundation X Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) Community College Scholarships!
Daviana Chacón Dugarte, Allyssa Comagon, Jae’oni Davis, Fatoumata Diaby, Kristina González, Stephanie Oliveira de Araújo, Ray Rodríguez, and Monique Vasquez are among 20 scholars selected for the scholarship program from a pool of more than 40 applicants attending community colleges in California, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Texas. In addition to receiving a $5,000 award, they will be paired with FSF mentors and participate in the FSF Virtual Summer Scholar Series as well as a three-day Fashion Industry Immersion Experience in New York City.
Daviana Chacón Dugarte is all smiles and excited about the opportunities afforded her through the scholarship.
Marina Esquilín, Scholarship Coordinator at Hostos, said she is immensely proud of the scholars and excited for the opportunities the scholarship will afford them. “They’re going to be able to network with different apparel companies, and they’re going to experience some of the work in the corporate offices,” she explained, adding that the program will also help students explore a variety of career paths in the fashion industry, including marketing and business management.
Students were nominated by faculty and staff to apply for the scholarship, and Hostos’ scholarship team helped them put together stellar application packages, which included video submissions. “They were really impressed by our students, and I’m really happy and proud of them,” shared Esquilín.
Friends and teammates Jae’oni Davis, left, and Fatoumata Diaby, right, bask in the glow of the scholarship award announcement.
The scholarship program represents something different but equally important to each scholar. For Hostos Women’s Basketball player and self-professed “sneakerhead” Jae’oni Davis — whose personal style is a combination of “streetwear, urban wear, anything in the basketball culture” influenced by the places she’s lived, including the Bronx, St. Thomas, Las Vegas, and Atlanta —- the scholarship is a unique opportunity for her to explore her love of fashion and pay down her student loan.
Stephanie Oliveira de Araújo is poised to take on another excellent networking opportunity.
Stephanie Oliveira de Araújo is most looking forward to utilizing the opportunity to network and explore potential career paths. “I want to learn more about the industry,” she said. “After I received the opportunity to be an American Heart Association Scholar, it opened my mind to a lot of fields, and I want to explore more before I graduate so that I know what I’m capable of doing and what other gifts I have. That’s what I want to know — knowing the field, the networking, looking forward to the meetings and the developmental sessions.”
Ray Rodríguez looks forward to applying what he learns this summer to his own entrepreneurial fashion pursuits.
Ray Rodríguez also enjoys mixing and matching his interest in the healthcare field and fashion, and he is excited that the scholarship will afford him the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the latter while pursuing his nursing degree at Hostos. “Clothing has always been my thing, since childhood,” he said. “From designing sunglasses to sneakers.” Rodríguez is eager to learn about everything from the design process to production and apply the experience to the creation of his own children’s clothing line.
The scholarship means a lot to Monique Vasquez, who wants to start her own plus-size clothing line.
Similarly, Kristina González and Monique Vasquez aspire to launch their own brands. González, who counts Rihanna and A$AP Rocky among her fashion influences, enjoys expressing herself through fashion and wants to open an online boutique. Vasquez, who was body shamed and bullied in her youth, wants to start a plus-size clothing line of her own. And although the program has not yet commenced, she said it has already offered her valuable insight. “It means a lot to me,” Vasquez shared. “It shows me that I can succeed in anything.”
The Fashion Scholarship Fund is a fashion-oriented education and workforce development nonprofit that awards scholarships to students from diverse backgrounds to help them succeed in all sectors of the fashion industry, including design, merchandising, marketing analytics, business strategy and more. The VF Foundation x FSF Community College Initiative was launched in 2021 through the support of The VF Foundation to aid community college students who have aspirations to pursue careers in the fashion and fashion-related industries. The program serves to expand the pipeline of talented professionals in those industries, particularly those from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented.
While Hostos’ FSF Community College Scholars may have different interests and style influences, they each have what it takes to tailor this unique scholarship experience to suit their specific goals, careers, and futures, and we could not be prouder of them.