RILA Awards Scholarship to University of Arizona Senior 

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has awarded University of Arizona Senior, Holland Cortright, the Robert J. Verdisco Retail Scholarship for 2009. Cortright will be presented with the scholarship, sponsored by Unilever and RILA, at the 2010 RILA Leadership Forum held January 17 – 19 in San Diego.

“Holland is an extraordinary individual, who has demonstrated academic dedication, peer leadership and a unique enthusiasm for retail.  With these skills and attributes, she will find a bright future in the retail industry.  We are pleased to offer this scholarship to such a driven and passionate student,” said RILA President Sandy Kennedy.

Cortright is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration at the University of Arizona with aspirations of becoming a retail store or district manager or a product development team leader.

In addition to her academic work, Cortright is the vice president of recruitment and retention for the University of Arizona’s Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team and has been instrumental in leading and developing many of the club’s projects including Go Pro Etiquette series, University of Arizona Career Expo, Extreme Leadership Scholars and the World Work Refugee project for the organization.

Cortright designed and launched the World Work project, which aids refugees from across the globe who have relocated to the Tucson area. The SIFE team assisted refugee families in resettlement and securing employment. Cortright wrote the curriculum for the workshops and recruited more than one hundred students and assigned them to act as mentors with the goal of placing 100 percent of refugees in jobs by the end of the school year. In addition to her leadership with the World Work project and the UA SIFE team’s executive board, Cortright has worked on other projects including Common Unity, The Haven, Secret Shoppers, and has also been a Young Life Youth Leader.

"I am so honored to have been chosen as the recipient of the Robert J. Verdisco Retail Scholarship. It is inspiring to see business leaders step up and support students, their education, and their efforts to make a positive impact on their community and the world," said Cortright. “I am very thankful to Unilever and the Retail Industry Leaders Association not only for their generous scholarship award, but also for the opportunity to attend the Leadership Forum and meet some of the retail industry's top leaders. “

The Robert J. Verdisco Retail Scholarship was launched in March 2002. Each year, the scholarship awards $5,000 to a university student pursuing a career in retail. This scholarship pays tribute to Bob Verdisco, president of RILA's predecessor organization, IMRA, from 1990 to 2002. Verdisco passed away in 2003.

"Bob was a strong advocate of the retail industry and of using community service to help those who were less fortunate," Kennedy said. "His contribution and dedication to the retail industry and to serving others in the community are remembered through this scholarship."

RILA is the trade association of the world’s largest and most innovative retail companies. RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers domestically and abroad.

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