My mission for Fashion Fundamentals has always been to create positive change in the fashion industry, and offer resources to every type of student — no matter their race, age, educational background or geographical location.
Student Diversity programs have helped me in my career, and I want to give back in any way I can to future students entering the fashion industry. When I was in college, I was selected for Hearst’s Diversity Internship Program. I was one of five students, and I was placed at Redbook magazine for a paid editorial internship. I would not have been able to afford to live in NYC without this paid internship, and most likely I would never have gotten the chance to move there after college either. I have been forever grateful for the people and mentors I met throughout this experience; it was a catalyst for starting Fashion Fundamentals for other students.
I was studying marketing and journalism at Arizona State University and had no fashion internship experience. I came from a hard-working blue collar family, and New York City and the fashion industry were foreign concepts to my parents. I desperately wished I had a mentor, a community of like-minded students, and readily available resources to learn about the industry.
When worldwide protests sparked at the end of May following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, we started seeing some small changes in the fashion industry due to the Black Lives Matter movement. I announced on my Instagram pages that for the months of June and July, I would be offering free registration to all Black community members.
When I originally started Fashion Fundamentals in 2017, I dreamed of one day starting a scholarship program, a.k.a. Fashion Fundamentals Foundation. Over the past couple of months, it has become so clear to me that this scholarship program needs to be for diverse and underrepresented communities within the fashion industry. The Hearst Diversity Internship Program changed my life and my career, and I hope I can do the same for someone else.
The Fashion Fundamentals Foundation Scholarship will run twice a year (starting in January and July), and I will select five students to enter the program.
Scholarship recipients will receive:
- Free lifetime access to the Fashion Fundamentals course, Career Chat interviews with industry professionals and all digital resources.
- Exclusive one-on-one monthly video mentorship sessions with me!
- Resume, cover letter, and digital portfolio redesign.
- Scholars will be set up with an industry mentor in their desired field.
TO APPLY TO THE FASHION FUNDAMENTALS FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP:
- Fill out applicant questionnaire (HERE)
- Submit a 1,000 word essay answering the following questions:
- Why do you want to work in the fashion industry?
- What is your dream career goal?
- How can the Fashion Fundamentals Foundation Scholarship help you reach your career goal?
- How will your diversity positively change the fashion industry?
- Send your resume and essay to [email protected]
- use subject line: Fashion Fundamentals Foundation Scholarship Applicant: (NAME)
FASHION FUNDAMENTALS FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS:
- Current college student (or) recent grad (within 1 year of graduation date)
- Candidate is a Person of Color (African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islander Americans, and others)
- 2.5+ GPA
More about Fashion Fundamentals:
Fashion Fundamentals is a digital course and community for students looking to break into the fashion, beauty and creative industries. Students will learn necessary tools to help them launch their career and land their dream internship and job. They will learn how to build a competitive resume, make genuine and lasting industry connections, create a strong online presence and network, ace their interviews and so much more!
The course includes 10 video lectures, 30+ video interviews with industry professionals (Vogue, Cosmo, Shopbop, Revlon, Nike, Macy’s, Ralph Lauren, BET, Seventeen and so much more!), monthly Live Q&As with Audree and one-on-one mentorship sessions.
The Simply Audree Kate Summer Edit 2020 is a digital, shoppable magazine that includes multiple lookbooks, trend reports, and shopping guides. Today, I’m sharing with you a section of the magazine that I hold dear to my heart: The Fashion Fundamentals Foundation.
YOU CAN SEE OUR PREVIOUS ISSUES HERE!
