The 2025-2026 scholarship application period is now closed. Please check back in January 2026 for next year’s scholarship cycle.
2024-2025 IRMA Foundation Scholarship Winners
IRMA Foundation is pleased to announce its 2024-2025 scholarship winners. This year the IRMA Foundation received 70 applications from fifteen member companies. Twenty-six students will receive one-year scholarship awards to be applied toward their educational expenses for the 2024-2025 academic school year at any accredited, non-profit college or university in the United States.
The IRMA Foundation is awarding ten scholarships to employees or children of employees of past IFRA member companies that have continued on as IRMA members. Additionally, five member companies participated in the Piggyback Program in order to provide a scholarship program specifically for their employees and employees’ dependents utilizing the IRMA Foundation application process.
To assure complete impartiality in the selection of winners and to maintain a high level of professionalism in dealing with students, parents, high schools, and colleges, the scholarship selection process is performed by Dr. Lester Sands of Sands & Associates.
Congratulations to all the scholarship recipients!
Students being awarded scholarships this year from IRMA member stores:
- Kate DeGreve, freshman in architecture at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Woodman’s Food Market
- Anissa Ducker, junior in graphic design/business at Purdue University Northwest – Fairplay Foods
- Andrew Johnson, freshman in kinesiology at Western Illinois University – Fareway
- Ryan Kotara, freshman in business real estate at the University of Mississippi – Berkots Super Foods
- Katelyn Musgrove, sophomore in economics at Truman State University – Niemann Foods
- Regan Newby, junior in professional flight and meteorology at Purdue University, SVT
- Lisa Nguyen, freshman in computer science at the University of Central Florida, Turano Baking – Florida
- Tayden Patterson, senior in physical education and the University of Dubuque – Coborn’s, Inc.
- Henry Tran, sophomore in applied cybersecurity and IT at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Pete’s Fresh Market
- Shelby Zahnd, senior in accounting at Eastern Illinois University, Paxton IGA
Piggyback Program scholarship recipients:
- Kyla Baker, senior in psychology at Indiana University – Indianapolis – SVT
- Emma Bean, freshman in social work at Indiana University – SVT
- Madison Beukema, sophomore in cosmetology at Know Beauty School – SVT
- Andrew Damico, freshman, undecided – Turano Baking (Berwyn)
- Erica Esparza, junior in legal studies at Illinois State University – Berkot’s Super Foods
- Giovanni Guerrero, sophomore in kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison – Turano Baking (Bolingbrook)
- Alessandra Ramirez, sophomore in nursing at Elmhurst University – Pete’s Fresh Market
- Mahari Reyes, freshman in environmental engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Turano Baking (Berwyn)
- Abigail Reynoso, sophomore in economics and finance at University of Nevada Reno – Turano Baking (Henderson)
- Paola Silva-Vega, junior in cybersecurity at West Georgia Technical College – Turano Baking (Georgia)
- Vishnu Sivasubramanyian – senior in health administration at Loyola University Chicago – Turano Baking (Bolingbrook)
- Andy Tran – sophomore in electrical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology – Pete’s Fresh Market
- Tyler Tyson, senior in kinesiology at Ball State University – SVT
- Samantha Valentine, junior in English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Niemann Foods
- Dylan VanVleck, sophomore in psychology at Purdue University Northwest – SVT
- Abigail Wojtaszek, junior in theatre and political science at Saint Mary’s College – SVT
