Hello, my stylish friends! I remember the excitement I felt when I visited UD during the spring of my junior year of high school and first learned about the RSOs and clubs on campus. As someone who strives to be well-rounded and diversified with leadership experiences, I knew that I had to become involved. Today, I still align with the Blue Hen philosophy of positively impacting the community and bettering yourself as a leader and future professional.
My experiences, from most-recent to those from freshman year, still shape who I am and what I wish to become.
Unintentionally, I uncovered my inner “intrapraneur“: an innovator, explorer – even without one’s own venture. I tend to ask the following: what we’re missing, what problems remain, and what (existing/current) resources we can utilize to make new solutions. I realize that the challenge of finding and filling white space is what keeps me going. Below are more on what I do and steps I took to reach these points.
UDRESS: Aligning with the Digital Landscape
UDRESS, the university fashion publication, challenged me to take initiative. I first bounced around roles for print writing and PR; at the time, any function excited me to learn more about the RSO’s ecosystem. The end of my first semester, however, I found myself curious about our alignment with digital publications. How was it that our magazine, one of the best in the country, lacked an online counterpart (especially given the direction and new reality of modern editorial)?
I emailed the President, asking her if we could set up a possible website; everything fell into place afterwards. After having a few meetings, both with the President as well as the Editor-in-Chief, I took on the challenge of setting up and launching udressmag.com the winter of my freshman year.
Fast forward to freshman spring and all of sophomore year, I took on a team of online writers. I realized, however, operating both the actual website and overseeing online editorial: bit too much than I could chew. Onboarding an online editor was one of the best decisions for us to balance editorial and technical tasks.
As with any organization/role, you have to change to remain relevant. By the time my junior spring and senior fall semesters came, the website needed a facelift. While I know website basics, the website necessitated advanced skills like coding. Adding a new website administrator opened an opportunity for me to then transition into a website coordinator role, similar to that of project operations, to streamline the direction of his work with that of the editorial team.
Connecting the website’s execution side with the editorial team’s creative side has been one of the most rewarding challenges. Trying to align everyone on the bases of “what’s needed from me and you” and, later, “how can we move forward together” is the crux of my work thus far.
Synergy Fashion SHow: Understanding the Designer side
Pictured above is me and one of my closest friends, Margaret at the 2019 Synergy Fashion Show at Trabant Student Center.
Understanding the design side, even as a non-designer, shouldn’t be underestimated. Learning how to work with different partners, operate a creative event, and think through the lenses of inclusivity and sustainability still stick with me. Found on the Synergy Blog, I authored a few posts as the PR assistant in 2020.
Looking back, I value picking designers’ brains, especially when it comes to breaking down non-tangible, creative concepts. Not to mention the tactical components, too. Costing and timelines effected the entire organization, in which designers planned meticulously around supply availability.
Fashion merchandising Club: navigating social media
Purposeful posts, as I like to call them! Takeaways include scheduling at the right time, adding variety to the feed, and staying consistent. The former social media director, I worked alongside the President and VP to execute their creative visions on Instagram: a heavy recruiting tool for future club members.
Delaware diplomats: Learning about the world and becoming friends with international students
Shown above is a photo with a representative for South Korea at the Fall 2019 Culture Festival.
Words can’t express how much I enjoyed Friday coffee hours with international students. During my freshman year, I also paired with an international student from Japan. We had one-on-one meetings, where we discussed everyday campus life as well as cultural differences.
Very interesting was one discussion on language differences—specifically, on articulation. My partner noted that the Japanese language is choppy and short, whereas English can sound more smooth (even slurred).
The odyssey online (university of Delaware)
Seeking editorial opportunities my freshman year, I started writing for The Odyssey Online through the University of Delaware. This platform offered me a safe space to express candid thoughts on adoption, culture, and current events. While I no longer pursue writing roles, I learned to find and echo my voice.
