Endeavor Design Scholarship

Funded by

Thom Gridley

Eligibility Requirements

Major:

Field of Apparel/Fashion Design, Footwear Design

Ethnicity:

Black or African-American, BIPOC

Education Level:

High School Senior

Major:

Ethnicity:

Education Level:

Field of Apparel/Fashion Design, Footwear Design

Black or African-American, BIPOC

High School Senior

Eligibility Requirements

Education Level: High-school Seniors, Incoming College Freshmen

Major: Field of Footwear Design, Apparel/Fashion Design, and/or Accessory Design

Ethnicity: BIPOC

High School Senior/Student

Sportswear/apparel/accessory design, footwear design, industrial design, or related

Black or African- American, BIPOC

It is critically important that the voice of BIPOC designers is represented in the field of Design. The Endeavor Design Scholarship is offered in support of creating racial equity in the fields of Footwear, Sportswear, Design/Active Apparel Design, and/or Fashion and Apparel/Accessories.

Requirements:

Scholarship reserved for BIPOC High School students, US residents only.
Must be a High School Senior/Student who plans to enroll in a full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college.
Pursuing a design-related degree; majors include: Footwear Design, Sportswear/Active Apparel Design, and/or Fashion Apparel/Accessories Design.

To apply, submit 8-12 images/jpegs or a PDF of your portfolio. Write a brief statement about what design means to you and how a career in design would be transformational for you.

Selection Criteria:

Essay, Designer, Ambition, Purpose, Vision, Dreamer

Scholarships for High School Seniors Scholarships for Black Students Scholarships for Minorities High School Scholarships Scholarships for Hispanic Students Fashion Scholarships Scholarships for South Asian Students

Published February 13, 2025

Essay Topic

Please upload 8-12 images/jpegs or a PDF of your portfolio. In addition, please write a brief statement about what design means to you and how a career in design would be transformational for you.

100–250 words

Apply Now

Winners and Finalists

August 2024

Winners

Finalists

School For Creat & Perf Arts High School

CINCINNATI, OH

Surayah Smallwood

Girard College High School

CHESTER, PA

Jada Ingram

Cass Technical High School

DETROIT, MI

July 2023

Winners

Axton Brown

Savannah College of Art and Design

Norcross, GA

Finalists

Kyndal Taylor

Hickory Ridge High School

Harrisburg, NC

Destiny Ezebuogo

Richland Community College

Garland, TX

Keoni Anding

Omaha North Magnet High School

Omaha, NE

Ariana Wilkes

Spartanburg Community College

Northern Nash High School

Rocky Mount, NC

Thalia Farquharson

Chaminade-Madonna College Prep

Fort Lauderdale, FL

July 2022

Winners

Fred Shaw

Loyola University New Orleans

Finalists

Indiana Connections Career Academy

Gary, IN

Christina Odupelu

Savannah College of Art and Design

Salem, VA

November 2021

Winners

Mya S

Savannah College of Art and Design

Germantown, TN

Finalists

Aleka Graham

The Art Institute of Atlanta

Duluth, GA

Shyenne Farrell

Virginia Commonwealth University

Winning Application

Corey Ricks Jr

Southampton HighFRANKLIN, VA

Axton Brown

Savannah College of Art and DesignNorcross, GA

To me, design means the art of creating something beautiful, functional, and innovative. It is the process of bringing ideas to life through a combination of creativity, problem-solving skills, and technical expertise. I discovered my love for creativity as a Junior in high school and decided that I wanted to study Fashion Design in college. As a student at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), my desire to create continues to grow. A career in design will be transformative for me as it will allow me to unleash my creativity and passion. Pursuing my dream will give me the opportunity to work on exciting projects that can have a positive impact on society.

Fred Shaw

Loyola University New OrleansHouston, TX

Designing inspiration was an influential tool to generate motivation for me. Looking up to notable artists like Keith Haring, Michael Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and others who define themselves differently in the industry is memorizing. Knowing that acquiring creativity is a necessity tool to become a successful artist, we often need hope towards that perspective. On the other hand, since art is very expressive visually, it’ll tap into people's hearts as fast as sound. Summarizing from my early-life story, the journey around elementary school prior to the beginning of high school was going through a turmoil. Having the dream of playing professional basketball was dying slowly while trying to obtain self-motivation to make something arise from the muddle. However, there was a lack of confidence observing within me. During these occasions, I would draw to escape feelings of anxiety. In fact, majority of the time will be basketball related drawings which felt relieving. Once I’ve explored other art projects outside of drawing, delight started to surface. Instantly, recognizing and creating art became my personal therapy. About three plus years of producing designs, one of things that kept me going was the inspiration from others. I’ve in constructed various of projects with business officials, athletes, artists, and more. I’m an upcoming African American graphic designer who’s willing to help everybody. From, local businesses to children who have an interest for fine arts. Believing that someone can make a difference for somebody in the world with one artwork at a time is powerful.

Mya S

Savannah College of Art and DesignGermantown, TN

I have had a passion for fashion for as long as I can remember. I began teaching myself to sew at 14, since then, my skills have continued to improve. At a young age, my mother instilled in me the importance of being an entrepreneur. I now have a custom clothing line, Signature Struts, that specializes in prom and evening wear. I participated in my first fashion week in 2019. I won in my category that year and from that point, I knew this was something I was called to do. Being an artist is the most important aspect of my life. I express myself through all of my designs. I hope to one day open a boutique for Signature Struts. I see my designs at events such as Met Gala, Bet Awards, Oscars, Emmys and the Golden Globes. The fashion industry is flawed in many ways. For years, models of darker complexions have been overlooked. My artistic gift is different from the rest as I will use Signature Struts to showcase women of various shapes, sizes and complexions, showing society that there is no such thing as a beauty standard. Once I graduate, a long term goal of mine is to one day have my own tv show similar to Project Runway. I want my show to be centered around minority designers in efforts to help them get the exposure they need to succeed as a business. I feel that doing this will create change for the future generations.