The FSA Scholarship Foundation provides its partners the opportunity to match contributions and invest in the education and advancement of their employees.
Through these partnerships, the foundation helps Texas retailers support their employees as they pursue higher education and build long-term careers in the food and beverage retail industry.
This year, the FSA Scholarship Foundation awarded 12 scholarships totaling $30,000 to employees from these retail partners – Market Street and Albertsons/Randalls/Tom Thumb.
The 2025 class of FSA scholarship recipients include:
- David Herrera – Tom Thumb: David’s work ethic and leadership were immediately recognized, earning him a promotion to a management role early in his time at Tom Thumb. Now in his second year at the University of North Texas, David is pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice. He plans to use his education to enhance his role in loss prevention and contribute to creating safer, more efficient store operations.
- Jasmine Navarro – Randalls: Jasmine, the daughter of longtime Randalls employee Jose Navarro, is a standout student who graduated high school at 16 and is now studying marketing. She plans to continue her education at UTSA with aspirations of leading creative campaigns in the retail or consumer goods sectors.
- Angel Nichols – Randalls: Currently working as a service supervisor at Randalls in Austin, Angel plans to begin college in the spring to pursue a degree in business or marketing. Raised by her grandmother, Angel is motivated to honor her memory by furthering her education and building a strong future. In five years, Angel hopes to have earned her degree and moved into a leadership role within the company. She sees economic pressures and pricing as key challenges in the grocery retail industry and enjoys connecting with customers from all walks of life.
- Noorulhaq Stanikzai – Tom Thumb: A part-time stocker at Tom Thumb, Noorulhaq recently completed his studies at Dallas College and will begin attending the University of Texas at Arlington in Fall 2025 to major in finance or accounting. Originally from Afghanistan, Noorulhaq considers graduating high school one of his proudest accomplishments. He works extra shifts to help fund his education and contribute to his household.
- James Ellis – Market Street: James has worked at Market Street for four years and is transferring from Dallas College to East Texas A&M University. Accepted with a transfer scholarship, James plans to continue studying general studies while exploring internship opportunities through Albertsons. James is passionate about the grocery industry and sees consumer behavior, artificial intelligence and inventory loss as major future challenges.
- Wagma Stanikzai – Albertsons: A salad maker at Albertsons, Wagma is studying nursing at the University of Texas at Arlington. Born in Afghanistan, she moved to the U.S. in 2017, learned English and earned her diploma. Her goal is to become a nutritionist and work within Albertsons to support healthy eating initiatives. Inspired by her mother, she’s passionate about reducing food waste and improving access to healthy food.
- Megha Patel – Albertsons: Megha is pursuing a degree in computer engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she’s expected to graduate in May. She works as a DriveUp&Go personal shopper at Albertsons. Passionate about improving the retail experience through technology, Megha hopes to develop AI-driven solutions to streamline inventory and enhance customer engagement. Megha’s mother is also an Albertsons employee.
- Taylor Draper – Market Street: Taylor is a psychology major at Tyler Junior College, planning to transfer to Prairie View A&M University. Taylor is interested in how psychology can help retailers understand and respond to consumer behavior. She balances school, work and extracurriculars – including being head student athletic trainer. She’s inspired by her father and passionate about finding solutions to rising grocery prices through strong vendor communication.
- Kimberly Suarez – Tom Thumb: A cashier at Tom Thumb, Kimberly will be attending Texas A&M University in College Station to study engineering. Kimberly is motivated by her parents’ sacrifices, who came to the U.S. 25 years ago and plans to pursue graduate school after earning her bachelor’s degree. Her store manager, David Beaty, speaks highly of Kimberly’s intelligence, work ethic and bright future, often pointing to her as a role model for other team members.
- Blake Blains – Tom Thumb: Blake is a marketing major at Baylor University and a grocery clerk at Tom Thumb in Wylie, where he’s known for his strong work ethic, professionalism and team spirit. His academic focus is on applying real-world marketing strategies to the grocery retail environment, with the goal of making a lasting impact in the industry. Tom Thumb Wylie is truly like a big family, and that spirit was on full display when Store Manager Donna Willard and many team members gathered to celebrate Blake’s FSA Scholarship award. His hard work shines both in the classroom and on the job. His mother, Christy Bains – who works in Human Resources for Albertsons Companies – was also there to proudly cheer him on.
- Ximena De Dios – Albertsons: Ximena is a nursing student at the University of Texas at Austin and has worked in the floral department at Albertsons since 2020. Ximena remains committed to her education and community, with more than 100 hours of volunteer work and leadership experience.
- Verenice Acosta – Randalls: Verenice is a recent high school graduate and a cashier at Randalls in Richmond. She will be the first in her family to attend college. Verenice enjoys engaging with customers and developing her skills in customer service.
Looking ahead to 2026, the board has a plan to double the number of scholarships awarded and expand opportunities for more employees across the Texas retail food and beverage industry.
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