December 14, 2022

Two Westphal students were selected as winners of the 2022 Black Talent in Design and Fashion Fund (BTDF) award: Maya Williams (Graphic Design) and Yanik Evers-McKoy (Product Design).

BTDF is the vision of Alicia Pinckney, Jordan Global Men’s Apparel Designer at Nike, and aims to directly fund Black students studying to enter the fashion and/or footwear industry. Statistics show Black talent represents less than 5% of such a vast industry; BTDF addresses a solution from the root and foundation, undergraduate studies, in the efforts to cultivate and foster students obtaining a degree in which they are technically trained.

Maya and Yanik are both members of the Westphal BRIDGE Scholars Program, an inclusive community built to enhance the success of underrepresented minority and first-generation college students. Now in its third year, Westphal BRIDGE has seen numerous students receive scholarship and mentor opportunities from the country's top lifestyle, retail, and footwear brands.