“Throughout the competition, the finalists have learned valuable collaboration, leadership and planning skills which will serve them throughout their careers across retail and beyond.”
WASHINGTON – The NRF Foundation today announced the top three teams for the 2025 NRF Foundation University Challenge presented by Kohl’s. The teams have competed in a business case competition for a chance to earn tuition scholarships and industry recognition.
“The NRF Foundation University Challenge provides students with the unique opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom to a real-world setting with a national brand,” NRF Foundation Executive Director Adam Lukoskie said. “Throughout the competition, the finalists have learned valuable collaboration, leadership and planning skills which will serve them throughout their careers across retail and beyond. We look forward to recognizing the hard work of these three incredible teams at the NRF Foundation Honors in January.”
The top-performing teams are:
Columbia College Chicago (Hazel Avery, Graeme Coté, Michelle Flores and Natilee Strey)
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (Tina Dang, Tiara Quidachay and Andrea Urdaneta Ranaldi)
University of North Texas (Madeline Blackburn, Caroline Bowen and Tatum Hartsfield)
As part of this year’s competition, undergraduate student teams were tasked with developing and pitching innovative new retail opportunities outside of physical stores and ecommerce for Carter’s Inc., the largest branded marketer of young children’s apparel in North America. The three finalists will pitch their campaigns live to a panel of executive retail judges.
The winners will receive a $30,000 tuition scholarship per team, with the second and third-place finalists each receiving $20,000 per team. The winners of the NRF Foundation University Challenge will be honored at the NRF Foundation Honors on Jan. 12 in New York City.
Since 2014, the NRF Foundation has awarded more than $6.4 million in scholarships. Visit https://nrffoundation.org/scholarships for more information about NRF Foundation scholarships.
About NRF
The National Retail Federation passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies and ideas that help retail succeed. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, contributing $5.3 trillion to annual GDP and supporting more than one in four U.S. jobs — 55 million working Americans. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job, educating, inspiring and communicating the powerful impact retail has on local communities and global economies. nrf.com
About NRF Foundation
The NRF Foundation provides the skills and resources needed for a life-changing career. As NRF's nonprofit 501(c)(3), we connect people to an industry that’s a great place to start and a great place to grow. Together, we help people build better lives and stronger communities. nrffoundation.org