MAFTO Scholarships for our members and Academy of Food Marketing
students from St. Joseph’s University
The Mid Atlantic Food Trade Organization (MAFTO) is a 501c3 establishment whose goal is to aid with those in need in the food and related industry, and with scholarships for our members families. The MAFTO Scholarships are awarded without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, handicap or sex. Winners will be selected by the MAFTO Scholarship Committee based on academic success, overall excellence of character, and potential for community contributions and leadership.
Recently we have also established a scholarship program with the Academy of Food Marketing at St. Joseph’s University. It is a logical step for us to provide assistance for the next generation of leaders in the food industry. We need to have educated and well-rounded individuals to take up the mantle of this generation.
Click Here to Apply | Click Here to See MAFTO 2022 Scholarship Recipients | Click Here to See MAFTO 2023 St. Joseph’s Academy of Food Marketing Scholarship Recipients
Click here to see how you/your company can donate to the MAFTO scholarship program. Your company will appear here as a donor.
Eligibility Requirements The MAFTO Scholarship is open to a child/stepchild or grandchild of a qualified MAFTO member. Qualified MAFTO members are those who have been in the organization for at least one year and attended at least one event within the last 12 months. You may receive this scholarship only once, repeat applications will be denied. You must also be a full-time returning college student as a sophomore, junior or senior. First year college freshman are not eligible to apply. The decision of the Scholarship Committee is final. Applications for the Scholarships are due by June 30. Please remember to include the following:
- Applicant’s Employer Letter of Recommendation (click here for form to fill out and upload)
- College Advisor Recommendation Form (click here for form to fill out and upload)
- A School Transcript
- Personal Essay
(write a personal essay to explain who the most influential person has been in your life so far. Please tell us how this person has affected your life. Your essay should be typed and should not exceed 250 words.)
Scholarships will be paid directly to the schools that the recipients attend. Applicants agree to accept the MAFTO Scholarship Committee’s decision as final.
Application Deadline: All applications and documents must be uploaded to the website by June 30
Ryann Foley is starting her second year at Coastal Carolina University. She is in an accelerated program called DN3 – degree in three. This program allows you to complete your undergraduate degree in three years and your graduate degree in the 4th year. She is majoring in marketing with a minor in financial planning. Ryann is an avid golfer and works part time at the campus golf course. She hopes to pursue a marketing career within the sports industry after graduation.
Christian Thack is a senior at Syracuse University majoring in Finance and Supply Chain Management. On campus, Christian is involved as a financial literacy tutor for local Syracuse City School District students under the Balancing the Books initiative. On top of this, he is the Treasurer of the Syracuse Club Baseball Team. This past summer Christian interned for Burlington Stores as a Corporate Supply Chain and Distribution intern. Christian hopes to return to Burlington or pursue corporate finance following his graduation in May of 2025.
MAFTO 2025 St. Joseph’s Academy of Food Marketing Scholarship
Recipients
We had numerous qualifying applicants and struggled to arrive at a winner. After much consideration, the committee agreed upon Eshika Attri.
Eshika Attri is a rising senior Food Marketing Co-Op Major at Saint Joseph’s University from Burlington Township, NJ. She has completed a semester abroad in Rome, Italy and was able to travel to 9+ countries during that time. Her first Co-Op was at Chobani within the Category Management team and she now currently works for Bayer as a Commercial Strategy Intern. Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, Eshika is deeply passionate about giving back to her community. As Vice President of HawkHUB, Eshika helps lead volunteer efforts and organizes events focused on alleviating food insecurity on campus.
She is incredibly grateful for the generosity of the MAFTO Foundation and she is committed to furthering its mission of supporting and uplifting local communities.
Due to the continued generosity of the food industry contributing to our events this past year, we were also able to grant 2 secondary Scholarships to other Food Marketing rising seniors:
Andrea Alonzo Vidaurre is a rising senior at Saint Joseph’s University, pursuing a double major in Food Marketing and Business Intelligence & Analytics. She is currently working as a Marketing and Merchandising Intern for Albertsons Mid-Atlantic Division, where she supports omni channel strategies, analyzes weekly AD performance across 290+ stores, and provides data-driven insights for seasonal planning. In 2023, Andrea completed a Co-Op with Aramark in Field Marketing and Food Operations, where she honored her skills in brand engagement, analytics, and understanding customer behavior.
Last October, Andrea has the opportunity to attend the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention (NFRA) in National Harbor, Maryland, where she gained valuable industry insights and built meaningful connections within the food marketing community.
As an international student from Guatemala, Andrea is especially honored to be a recipient of the MAFTO Scholarship Award. She is excited to give back to the community that has embraced her and provided so many opportunities since her arrival.
Stefano Billis is a rising senior Food Marketing Co-Op student at Saint Joseph’s University with a double major in Business Intelligence & Analytics. He is from Lititz, PA, a small town in northern Lancaster County. Stefano graduated from Warwick High School in 2022 where he was a captain of the Men’s tennis team, a member of the National Honor Society and Business Honor Society, and a member of his school’s Link Crew freshman orientation program. Currently at SJU, Stefano is the youngest Executive Vice President for the Food Marketing Association in recent history, a member of the SJU chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma which honors business students in the top 10% of their school, a member of Alpha Iota Delta and Omega Rho, two honor societies for the top performing Decision System Sciences students on campus, participates in the Dean’s Leadership Program, and is a Haub School of Business Ambassador.
Working in food retail for 3 years, Stefano knew he had a great opportunity to take some industry experience and build on it in college. In those 3 years, Stefano worked for the Giant Company in the Front End and the Beer Garden, learning and continuing to develop valuable retail skills such as merchandising, customer service, and time management. Recently, Stefano concluded his first Co-Op experience for Dollar Tree Inc. where he participated in a 16-week rotational program. Stefano performed store manager duties, shadowed District Managers and Regional Directors, and traveled to Chesapeake, Virginia, to shadow numerous HQ positions and learn about distribution methods from the corporate Distribution Center. His proudest achievement was his development of a tablet and distribution and adoption program that is being implemented in parts of the company in New Jersey. Currently, Stefano is the first SJU Co-Op at Circana performing data analytics for the company.
Stefano describes himself as a very passionate student who is always eager to learn, which is demonstrated by his 3.98 GPA and his long list of activities and accomplishments at Saint Joseph’s University. He is very excited to see what the future holds and especially where his career takes him after graduation!
Thank you to the following companies for their direct contribution to the MAFTO scholarship program:
Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services
If you would like to add you/your companies name to this list, please click here.
Please contact Scholarship Chair JJ Brennan on how you can participate directly with the Scholarship Program.
610-869-4100