Announcing the 2026-2027 Two Ten Scholars

The Two Ten Footwear Foundation is excited to introduce our scholar cohort for the 2026-2027 academic year. This year, 155 outstanding students have been awarded Two Ten scholarships to help them pursue their higher education goals and build brighter futures. 

Who are our scholars? 

• 55% are footwear employees

• Nearly 50% identify as people of color 

• 70% identify as women 

• 40% are first-generation college students 

• 15% are from the military community 

• 36 students will be entering their senior year of study 

Our employee scholars represent leading footwear companies and numerous independent retailers. They are pursuing degrees across a wide range of fields—from Aerospace Engineering to Fine Arts. Many are also using their education as a pathway to advance their careers and make an even greater impact within the footwear industry. 

Scholar Spotlights

Emily Wedlake 

Scholar Emily Wedlake will be a freshman at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst this fall, where she will compete on both the track & field and cross-country teams at the Division I level.  Inspired by her father's footwear career and her background working in footwear retail, she plans to major in management and build a future in the industry. 

“Seeing all that goes on within this business sparked my interest for the industry as a whole, leading me to choose my major. I aspire to transition from the sales floor to a large-scale corporate leadership role within the footwear sector, following the footsteps of my father.” 

Holton Peoples 

Scholarship recipient Holton Peoples is an incoming freshman at Grand Valley State University, where he plans to study marketing. His passion for graphic design began at a young age and grew through visits to his father’s workplace in the footwear industry. During one “Take Your Child to Work Day” several years ago, Holton spent the day with the graphic design team at Wolverine Worldwide, giving him an early look at how creativity and design shape footwear. Now, he is open to where his passion may take him, including potentially a career in footwear.

“Getting this scholarship makes me want to steer toward the footwear direction. I think it would be really cool to come up with designs for soccer cleats or sports cleats.” 

Xavier Lojero 

Xavier is a first-time Two Ten Scholar and a sophomore at Saint Mary's College of California, where he is majoring in business analytics. He is the first in his family to attend college, and says the Two Ten scholarship has eased the financial burden, allowing him to focus on academics, internships, and professional development as he works toward a career in business. 

“[This scholarship represents] all the sacrifices, countless hours of hard work, and every obstacle we've overcome to achieve this goal. When I left to start this new chapter of my life, I knew that I would be making my family proud.”

Fiona Dupraw 

 Fiona will be a senior this fall at Oregon State University, where she is pursuing a degree in economics. She says the Two Ten Scholarship has given her the freedom to become more involved on campus and even consider graduate school, knowing she is on track to earn her degree with little to no significant student debt. 

“This scholarship allowed me to have the freedom to do more on campus,” Fiona said. “I was able to join a sorority and that has been important to my whole college experience thus far.”