by ANGELINA CASTRO, Govt Director, Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment (WiT)
The way forward for our trade will depend on who we put money into in the present day. Every year, I’m struck by how typically essentially the most impactful expertise enters our area by sudden paths and the way highly effective it may be when somebody lastly feels seen and is aware of there’s a place for them right here. At Ladies in Toys, Licensing & Leisure (WiT), the WiT Basis Scholarship Program is supposed to be that place, providing assist, entry, and mentorship to assist ladies flip ambition into confidence, connection, and affect.
As purposes open for the 2026 WiT Basis Scholarship Program, we’re reminded that there isn’t a single path ahead. Every year, WiT Students illustrate the breadth of expertise shaping our area. Their educational pursuits and profession targets span enterprise, engineering, know-how, design, and storytelling, mirroring the interdisciplinary actuality of how merchandise, experiences, and types are delivered to life. The 2025 WiT Basis Scholarship recipients exemplify the curiosity, management, and potential this system was designed to assist.
Christine Xu, a Mechanical Engineering pupil at MIT concentrating in product growth and design, embodies hands-on creativity. Impressed early by toy design, she strives to create bodily merchandise that foster pleasure, connection, and creativeness. Her work reminds us that considerate design and human-centered engineering stay important in an more and more digital world.
Grace Garner, a Graphic Design pupil at Lindenwood College, is a visible storyteller with a ardour for affect. Her pursuits in illustration, literature, and immersive environments spotlight the ability of design to form experiences and affect storytelling. Her dedication to illustration speaks to the significance of various voices in industries of affect.
Isabella Chavez, a Provide Chain Administration pupil on the College of Arkansas with a minor in Enterprise Analytics, brings a world lens to her research. Rising up between nations sparked her curiosity in how merchandise transfer throughout borders and the methods behind on a regular basis items. As an incoming pupil group president targeted on provide chain management, she displays how curiosity, service, and international considering form future enterprise leaders.
Sarah Mashiat, a Laptop Science pupil at Princeton College, brings collectively know-how and narrative. With a background in engineering and a deal with software-driven options, she displays the path of interactive experiences. Her work in journalism additional underscores the significance of storytelling, readability, and user-centered considering in shaping significant merchandise and types.
Rachel Fox, a Finance and Provide Chain Administration pupil on the College of Arkansas, represents the essential infrastructure behind each profitable product. Her ardour for logistics and methods considering highlights the significance of environment friendly, moral provide chains and powerful operational management, reinforcing that business-focused roles are foundational to innovation and progress.
Collectively, these students present what is feasible when expertise meets entry and assist. Their journeys mirror the vary of abilities, views, and ambitions that proceed to maneuver our trade ahead. Supporting the following era shouldn’t be solely about particular person progress but in addition about nurturing the concepts, management, and creativity that can outline what comes subsequent.
Keep on the Pulse of Play!
A model of this characteristic first appeared within the 2026 version of The BIG Toy Book. Learn the complete concern here!
Need The Toy E-book delivered straight to your desk? Subscribe today and get seven massive points a 12 months — filled with the tales, tendencies, and insights that maintain you on the #pulseofplay.
Trending Merchandise
