Fashion Institute of Technology Student Awarded 2022 VMSD Scholarship

(PRESS RELEASE) HOLLYWOOD, FL — It is with great pleasure that PAVE in partnership with VMSD congratulates Alexandria Casella, a Senior in the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Spatial Experience Design program as the recipient of the 2022 VMSD Scholarship!

Alexandria Cassella

This scholarship recognizes and supports leadership potential in the Interior Design, Retail Design, Hospitality Design, Visual Merchandising, Architecture, UX Design, Engineering, and Product Design fields through a $1,500 scholarship or the opportunity to attend the International Retail Design Conference (IRDC) 2022 in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 26-27.

“We are so happy to congratulate Alexandria Casella of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) as the winner of the 2022 VMSD x PAVE Scholarship,” says Carly Hagedon, Managing Editor of VMSD and Co-Chair of the International Retail Design Conference (IRDC). “All of the students who entered this year provided a range of exceptional projects and essays positing the future of retail, customer experiences and in-store shopping – we were so impressed by everything these future thought-leaders shared with our team.

We wish all of the students our very best and know they will one day make irreplaceable members of the retail design and visual merchandising industry. We look forward to celebrating students this fall at the 2022 International Retail Design Conference (IRDC), Oct. 26-27. A big congratulations once more to Alexandria!”

Presented annually by VMSD magazine, IRDC is a one-of-a-kind conference that delivers two full days of education and design dialogue. Recognized as the premier educational and networking event for the store design and visual merchandising communities, attending IRDC offers student designers a unique opportunity to broaden their knowledge of retail design while they interact with and learn directly from professionals.

The PAVE Scholarship Program, now in its 13th year, provides financial assistance to students in educational programs preparing them for careers in the retail environments industry, including but not limited to careers in retail design, visual merchandising, interior design, architecture, product design, UX design, graphic design, and industrial design.

PAVE was developed to help ensure a future talent pool for the industry by eliminating barriers to studying in these fields. The funds assist students who are experiencing financial difficulties that may prevent them from continuing school. PAVE has awarded students over $234,500 in financial grants and scholarships in the past three years.