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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Three Western Michigan University business students, Jacob Remington, Katelyn Wandel and Lily Zwanka, have been awarded scholarships from Grocery Manufacturers’ Representatives (GMR) of Grand Rapids. Each student received $3,000.

Dr. Russell Zwanka, director of the food and consumer package goods marketing program and associate professor of marketing, highlights the incredible success of these students.

“In the food marketing program, you get out what you put in, and Katelyn, Jacob and Lily embody the values we instill to ensure our students will hit the ground running in the food industry after graduation,” he says. “All three are members of the leadership board of the Food Marketing Association student organization, have spoken at industry conferences, held internships with major companies and will be excellent future leaders in the food industry.”

According to Russell Zwanka, the scholarship is a strong reinforcement for students of the benefits of applying yourself in every aspect of the undergraduate experience.

The scholarship evaluates students based on their pursuit of experience, passion for the industry, goals, service to their community and personal branding. Chosen by a committee of five industry professionals, the three students showcased their excellence in food marketing.

“I will admit that it gets challenging when many of the students do such a great job in all these areas,” says Eric Crawford, president of the GMR of Grand Rapids. “The Western team should be proud of the quality of 51������ Haworth students!”

Meet the recipients

Jacob Remington is a senior from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is majoring in food and consumer package goods marketing with a minor in general business and is expected to graduate in spring 2023. He is the director of recruitment for the Food Marketing Association and is the Western ambassador for the National Retail Federation Foundation. In 2022, he was a participant in CIMBA Italy, where he studied abroad for a semester. Remington is currently working as a category management analyst intern for The Kellogg Company. He is a member of the Lee Honors College and has been named to the dean’s list in multiple semesters.

Katelyn Wandel is a senior from Gilberts, Illinois. She is majoring in food and consumer package goods marketing and minoring in international business and is expected to graduate in spring 2023. She is involved with Alpha Lambda Delta honors fraternity, Western’s chapter of the American Marketing Association and currently serves as the president of Western’s Food Marketing Association. She has also acted as a research team member, speaker and student captain for three of Western’s National Grocers Association case competition teams. Wandel has had intern experiences in merchandising at Meijer and consumer insights at Mike’s Hard Lemonade. She is a member of the Lee Honors College and has been named to the dean’s list in multiple semesters.

Lily Zwanka is a junior from Albany, New York. She is majoring in food and consumer packaged goods marketing and minoring in economics, and she is expected to graduate in spring 2024. In 2022, she was a case competition speaker for Western's National Grocers Association team. Currently, she is the executive vice president of the Food Marketing Association. She held an internship position at The Kellogg Company; in summer 2023, she will be interning at PepsiCo as a sales intern for Gatorade and Quaker. She is a member of the Lee Honors College and has been named to the dean’s list in multiple semesters.

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