1. What college or university did you attend after SAAS (or what did you pursue instead?) What did you major in? Did you get other degrees?
After SAAS, I attended New York University with the intention of majoring in journalism. After 2 years, I decided to transfer to the Fashion Institute of Technology (also in New York), where I studied Fashion Merchandising and Management.
2. What unique experiences have you had since leaving SAAS? Trips, internships, jobs, etc
The best thing about going to school in New York was that it allowed me to intern at great companies while I was in school. I also stayed there every summer to intern (and because I was obsessed with New York and never wanted to leave). My first couple of internships were with fashion PR companies, where I did things like pull clothes for magazine shoots from the brands we represented and work fashion week events. I decided PR wasn’t for me and I wanted to try writing and my boss at the PR company connected me with the then-EIC of Fashionista.com. I interned there for about 6 months, interned for Elle.com for a few months and then got hired full time at Fashionista, where I’ve been ever since! I started as an assistant editor and now, five years later, I’m the editorial director. I’ve gotten to cover fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris, in addition to traveling to other amazing places I probably never would have otherwise visited like Moscow, Singapore and Dubai. I've also moderated on-stage interviews and panel discussions, which is pretty big since I've always been very shy.
3. What are your favorite memories from SAAS? What programs, teams, extracurriculars were you involved in while at SAAS? Who were your most influential teachers at SAAS?
I always felt like SAAS was the high school version of NYU. It wasn’t very traditional, the city is a big part of the overall experience, I had a lot of freedom, and I got a great education. I was the editor in chief of the yearbook senior year, which I guess prepared me for what I do now! I would say my English teachers, like Conner and Joe Puggelli, as well as Rob Phillips, were the most influential. That “double honors” American Studies class was harder than any class I took in college and I’d say that class, more than anything, prepared me for a career in writing. I have much better writing and grammar skills than a lot of my peers and I know it was because I got such a great education at SAAS.
4. Where are you now and what do you do? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? How did SAAS help prepare you for your job today?
I’m now the editorial director of Fashionista.com, one of the biggest independent fashion websites in existence. I edit and write articles about the fashion industry — news, designer interviews, collection reviews, reported-out features on industry trends, etc. It’s really fast-paced and requires that I be able to write things quickly and well, and to think critically, analytically and creatively. I think SAAS helped me to think that way, to be a good writer, and to have the discipline to get things done. I honestly don't know where I see myself in 10 years but I imagine it will involve sitting quietly and writing somewhere.
