Then and Now

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to go into fashion design and work for a big fashion house, but I wasn't quite ready to leave the nest after high school. I got a pretty cool scholarship to SLCC and decided to give it a go. As a fashion design student here I took it very seriously and made it known that I wasn't messing around. My professors really nourished me.

I didn't know it then, but I was getting technical skills that would be unmatched to what I would find in Paris and New York City. When I got into the Parsons School of Design, I was ahead of the game in presenting clothes. Parsons focused on concept and thinking outside the box; I loved it and it really stretched my mind.

I always speak highly of SLCC, even in Paris and NYC. I was super proud of it—it's a hidden gem.

In NY, I fulfilled my design fashion fantasy and worked for the Peter Do fashion house. I was on a small team so I saw it all, the grunt work and the glamour. I'm now pulling my creativity in a different direction and I'm in my painting phase. I needed a break from an industry that is always go, go, go.

"I always speak highly of SLCC, even in Paris and NYC. I was super proud of it—it's a hidden gem."

Advice

Home in on something that makes you unique based on your authentic self—design is not all about following the trends. Find something you are happy with. If you are at SLCC, dive in and give it your all. You have such a support system here and a lot of creative freedom. What you will learn here is how to transform those skills into real life. I did.