AMM Student Awarded Scholarship

An apparel merchandising and management student was awarded a $1,500 scholarship from the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS)

Karina Venegas was selected as a scholarship recipient by the AAFCS’s California Affiliate.

“The scholarship committee was impressed with your application and the dedication to your educational future career goals in the profession of family and consumer sciences,” wrote committee chair Ivana Markova.

Venegas has been a leader, serving as treasurer for the American Association of Textile Chemists & Colorists (AATCC) SoCal Broncos chapter and the Ag Council representative for the Apparel Merchandising and Management Association student club in the 2023-24 academic year.

In addition, Venegas was part of a team that participated in the annual AATCC Concept to Consumer merchandising competition. She also joined a team of other Huntley College of Agriculture students who participated in the USDA Agricultural Export Market Challenge.

Academically, Venegas presented some of her work at the annual Cal Poly Pomona Student Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities Conference last spring.

She also has worked as a research assistant for an apparel merchandising and management Creating Responsive, Equitable, Active Teaching and Engagement (CREATE) grant where she moderated focus groups to learn more about student experiences.

“Karina stood out based on her optimism, attentiveness and strong time management skills,” said Associate Professor Helen Trejo, who hired her as research assistant.

In addition to the scholarship, Venegas was offered a one-year membership with AAFCS.