{"id":50486,"date":"2023-05-09T17:24:28","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T21:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/?p=50486"},"modified":"2024-05-03T04:40:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T08:40:48","slug":"park-centennial-scholarships-help-daryn-wilkerson-design-a-bright-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2023\/05\/park-centennial-scholarships-help-daryn-wilkerson-design-a-bright-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Park, Centennial Scholarships Help Daryn Wilkerson Design a Bright Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Education has always been a fundamental part of Daryn Wilkerson\u2019s life. The Durham, North Carolina, native came from a home with two educator parents, so she has seen firsthand twice over where applying herself in the classroom can lead.<\/p>\n\n\n

For Wilkerson \u2014 and for her mother, Monica, before her \u2014 that dedication led to NC State.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cMy mom went here, too, for her master\u2019s in curriculum and instruction from the College of Education,\u201d Wilkerson said. \u201cShe just retired from being an English teacher at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Now, Wilkerson is joining Monica as a proud Pack alumna.<\/p>\n\n\n

Wilkerson is a May graduate with a bachelor\u2019s degree in fashion and textile design<\/a> and a concentration in fashion design from the Wilson College of Textiles. She plans to move to New York City (for starters) and pursue a career in the bridal industry, which are perhaps the toughest city and segment of the fashion industry to succeed in. It isn\u2019t uncommon for aspiring designers to spend years working at or below minimum wage to simply get a chance at making it in the Big Apple.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cBridal is very, very different from normal sewing, normal pattern-making,\u201d Wilkerson said. \u201cIt\u2019s like the highest of the highest quality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Throw in a heavy load of student loans, and it is no small feat for most young designers to achieve success in the fashion world. But Wilkerson isn\u2019t just any young designer. And thanks to the private support she received while attending NC State, she won\u2019t have to worry about student debt.<\/p>\n\n\n

The Road to Here<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n

Wilkerson doesn\u2019t remember a time when she wasn\u2019t reading \u2014 \u201cI had two teachers for parents,\u201d she joked \u2014 but she does remember when she took up sewing. She was 10, and the joy of creating something has stuck with her.<\/p>\n\n\n

Specifically, the joy of creating something that benefits others.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
A proud new NC State alumna, circa 2023. Photo by T. Burroughs Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

Wilkerson\u2019s interests in fashion design and community service soon led her to become involved with Little Dresses for Africa, a Christian nonprofit that sends its namesakes, which are created by volunteers such as Wilkerson, and other forms of relief aid to children across that continent and beyond. She also worked with Brides Against Breast Cancer, which takes in donated wedding dresses and resells them at a considerable discount to help generate funding for breast cancer research and awareness efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n

Service activities like these, combined with her numerous academic achievements \u2014 all that reading paid off \u2014 and participation in extracurriculars such as Wilson College\u2019s Summer Textile Exploration Program<\/a>, made Wilkerson the perfect choice for receiving a scholarship when she applied to NC State.<\/p>\n\n\n

Two scholarships, actually.<\/p>\n\n\n

Wilkerson found out she was being awarded a Park Scholarship<\/a> and a Centennial Scholarship<\/a> on the same day. She was still a senior at Leesville Road at the time, so the high school\u2019s leadership called her and her mother to the office to tell them the great news together.<\/p>\n\n\n

Tears were soon shed. By both women.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cShe never cries, and she actually cried about that,\u201d Wilkerson joked. \u201cThe staff was like, \u2018We\u2019ve never seen Monica cry before!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018Wow, I have two<\/em> scholarships \u2014 I\u2019m 100% going to NC State now.\u2019\u201d <\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a really sweet moment,\u201d Wilkerson added. \u201cI was like, \u2018Wow, I have two<\/em> scholarships \u2014 I\u2019m 100% going to NC State now.\u2019 I was already saying I was going, but that really sealed the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

The Park Scholarship is a four-year scholarship valued at $116,000 for in-state students such as Wilkerson. (For out-of-state students, $213,000.) The Wilson College of Textiles\u2019 Centennial Scholarship, in turn, provides its recipients with a minimum of $15,000 per year for four years. Both scholarships also come with enrichment grants that enabled Wilkerson to take part in several experiential-learning opportunities while studying at NC State, such as two unpaid internships with different design companies.<\/p>\n\n\n

She was also involved with Park\u2019s Learning Labs I and II. These opportunities enable groups of Park Scholars to analyze a national or global social issue and determine how leaders can work to solve it \u2014 while gaining leadership experience themselves. Wilkerson, for instance, helped lead her Learning Lab I.<\/p>\n\n\n

Enrichment grants even allowed Wilkerson to study fashion abroad in Florence, Italy, at the Lorenzo de\u2019 Medici Institute between her junior and senior years. The institute is a renowned study-abroad destination located in one of the fashion capitals of the world, making Wilkerson\u2019s time there an invaluable addition to her education.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cI lived there for a whole semester, and it was so great,\u201d Wilkerson said. \u201cI\u2019m so thankful for my scholarships, because I would not have been able to do that otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n