Student Kathryn Williams Named Semi-Finalist for the National Retail Federation Foundation “Next Generation” Scholarship

Williams is among 25 semi-finalists from colleges across the country; Winner will receive $25,000 toward their education.

Columbia College Chicago student Kathryn Williams, a Marketing and Fashion Business major, has been selected as a semi-finalist for the 2019-2020 National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation’s Next Generation Scholarship. Only 25 students from across the country have been selected as semi-finalists.

The NRF Foundation collaborated with Gap Inc. to provide the semi-finalists with the opportunity to engage directly with Gap Inc. executives, learn more about the brand, and to gain valuable insights about the business. To further challenge the semi-finalists, students will be required to create a unique case study featuring the company’s menswear brand, Hill City, for the second phase of the scholarship competition.



Headshot of Kathryn Williams
Photo courtesy of the student.

Based on student performances on the case study, five semi-finalists will be selected to advance to the final round of the Next Generation Scholarship, where they will be interviewed in-person by the NRF Foundation’s Board of Directors.



The winner of the scholarship will be announced at the NRF Foundation Gala, on January 12, 2020 in New York City and will receive $25,000 toward their education.

Last year, Columbia students took first and second place at NRF’s Student Challenge Competition.