This summer, the four 2026 Veronica Beard x CFDA Creative Futures Scholars—Madison Valenta, Chris Ortiz, Jane Lee, and Summer Kubota—joined the design teams at Veronica Beard’s New York City headquarters for paid internships spanning denim, soft wovens, knitwear, and tailoring.

An integral part of the Creative Futures Scholarship, the internship gives scholars the opportunity to build on their education through hands-on industry experience. From contributing to upcoming collections and participating in fittings to developing designs for production, the scholars gained an inside look at the creative, technical, and commercial process behind bringing a collection to life.

Most recently, scholar Chris Ortiz showcased his work during the morning reception for Step Up for Fashion, the annual Madison Avenue event benefiting the CFDA Scholarship Fund bringing his work in front of an industry audience and continuing the opportunities for visibility and exposure that extend beyond the classroom.

As Madison, Chris, Jane, and Summer return to school for their senior year, they do so with firsthand experience inside a working fashion business, and a stronger understanding of how their individual design perspectives can translate into the industry.

Images courtesy of Veronica Beard and BFA.