Category Archives: summer

First Summer in NYC – Loved It!

This last summer was the first that I ever spent fully in NYC. Normally, I head back home to Seattle, WA and work while staying with my family, but not this summer. I worked full time as an intern at Tory Burch and moved into my first ever off-campus apartment in Chelsea. This summer gave me a taste of what life would be like after school – my own apartment, full time work, class-free schedule, and a summer social life. 

Staying in NY for the summer was a tough decision because I rarely get to see my family and friends as things are now. Ultimately, I want to move back to the west coast for work, and I made the decision to stay in NY in hopes that it would accelerate my journey to find work back home. With every job I have in the industry here in NY, I become that much more valuable to my future employers, so the more work I can get for myself, the more likely I am to be hired elsewhere.

Living in NY for the summer was a dream, other than the weather (I am not a warm/humid weather person in the slightest). As I said, I continued work at Tory Burch with my wonderful team full time. Working full time in an office environment and a team that I love was a new experience for me entirely, but I can’t wait to get back to working full time once I graduate. Not having classes also meant that when the weekend rolled around, I could actually relax and have fun without having to block out any time to work on homework. Basically, I actually got to have a life out of FIT which was new for me. 

NYC is also a wonderful place to explore with friends over the summer. There are so many events going on that you can find something to do without even planning on it. Looking back on my time here over the summer, it has made me realize that I want to live in NY after graduating because I feel that the city is meant to be lived in when you are young, and if I left to go back home, I don’t think that I would ever come back to live here. NYC is willing to give you the life of your dreams if you let it.

NYC Pride 2019 near the Stonewall Inn

Far Rockaway Beach

NY Yankees Game

Pizza with friends in the park

Building Your Portfolio In The Summer

Hello TIGERS,

The heat waves are striking once again this summer and sometimes it is not so easy to roam around the streets of NYC. However, your time at home doesn’t have to be a waste, so if you have any spare hours you can use them to continue building your portfolio!

It is not easy, at least for me, to be on top of all semester projects and at the same time updating my fashion website. So, I take time in the summer to refresh my website and add all the recently completed projects. Like this, I can give my undivided attention to details when it comes to designing a well-rounded website. With this comes along, photo shoots, yes. Since I am in the Fashion Design major, my projects consist of designing and sewing garments. A lot of times we get handed projects back to back and don’t have enough time to do a more professional photo shoot of the final outcome. So, during the summer, I use this time to get the shots I need.

I also take some time to dig into research. Research for new collections, designs, and even history research. You can never learn too much, and the more you know the easier it gets when it comes to starting projects, specifically in the fashion field, themes, concepts, ideas all come faster.

You may have your portfolio all set by the time you step into summer, but it is never a bad idea to go back and check that everything is at its best for when you need to show all the amazing projects you have done!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Feel free to comment how you spend your summer time!

Best,

Maria

Fun on a Budget in NYC

Hi everyone!

Even if you have only visited NYC, you’ll notice how quickly costs add up! When you’re a student on a tight budget, this can make having fun seem like an expensive treat. However, there are many fun things to do for little to no cash.

Free Museum Days
Many NYC museums have free days, or nights when you can pay as you wish. If there’s one you’re interested in going to, check on their website. They even might have student discounts or special events. MoMA has free admission for SUNY students (which means an FIT id gets you in for free!) and many other places have similar arrangements.

Cheap Eats
Want to go out with friends on a budget? I would recommend grabbing dollar slice pizza and taking it to a park, or checking out Chinatown. The good eats abound in Chinatown, my friends and I are really big fans of Shanghai Dumpling on Mott St. Get their soup dumplings- it’ll change your life and the shared plates system means you get to try a lot of things while paying less than you would for one meal out most places.

Take a Walk
When I first moved to NYC, I would walk EVERYWHERE! Since where I worked was a 30 minute walk, instead of taking the subway I would just grab my sneakers and go on foot. It’s great exercise, and saved me quite a bit in the long run. Additionally, it’s one of my favorite ways to find new places in the city. Passing by a cafe or cool shop while walking gives you the freedom to pop in for a bit and check it out. Save on metro fees and turn on a podcast to go – the savings do add up!

Picnic in the Park
Enjoy a nice day in the park with friends! Grab some snacks or make a few sandwiches and hang out in one of NYC’s many parks. Bring a deck of cards and a speaker and enjoy the outdoors!

College Student Potluck
My personal favorite- instead of everyone bringing a full dish to share, each person brings an ingredient and everyone cooks together. It’s a lot easier than finding time to prepare in advance and it makes for a cheap and easy dinner! My friends and I have made pizza (one person grabs crust, the other sauce, etc) and sushi amongst other things.

These are just a few ways to have fun on a budget! As much as I love a good $5 latte (oops), there are so many ways to enjoy the city and hang out with friends on the cheap.

What ways have you found to have fun on a budget?
Sam

Summer Plans Ahead!

Hi everyone!

This semester flew by for me and now it is time for summer!  This summer I will be interning for Madewell, which is owned by J Crew, in their Long Island City office!  I will be doing Production Management for them, which even though it is my major I have never technically interned in- I’ve always done Product Development, my future dream job. I’m excited to see how a larger company does production, as most of the production work I have helped with has been for luxury or small businesses.

I worked at Madewell all during my freshman year as a sales support associate, so it really does feel full-circle to return to them for my senior summer.  I look forwards to putting all my brand knowledge to good use in corporate, and getting feedback from my peers still at the retail stores!  Working retail in high school and college is a great way to get your foot in the door at potential future corporate employers- find a company you admire and see if they are looking for retail workers. It can give you a big upper hand when it comes to internships down the road, and looks great on your resume.

Aside from work, I hope to go to a Yankees game and Coney Island!  I’d also love to have a few picnics with friends, and check out the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.  Since last summer I spent my time in LA, I look forwards to getting some NYC summer living in.

I have the summer off from blogging, but I look forwards to hopefully updating you all in the fall about what I learned and did.

Have a great summer!

Sam

How I Made My Summer ’19 Decision

Recently, I went through a very difficult decision process to sort out my summer plans. For context, I am a junior soon to be heading into my senior year, and I am originally from Washington state. I have been working as a production intern at Tory Burch since the Fall semester and was offered an opportunity to stay with them as a product development intern over the summer. I have yet to stay in NY over the summer, and I always miss home this time of year since I’ve been away for so long. There were many things to consider when debating to accept this offer from Tory Burch. I wouldn’t be able to see my friends and family from back home over the entire summer, I wouldn’t be back in the PNW during one of my favorite seasons, and I wouldn’t be saving money from not paying rent. It is also my last summer as a student and I wanted to be very careful with how I used this fleeting freedom. On the other hand, if I stayed with Tory Burch, I would be building my resume and developing more skills and experience to further my career and eventually achieve my long term goal; I eventually want to move back to the West coast and work for iconic outdoor apparel and lifestyle brands, with one of my top picks located in Seattle, WA. If I stayed in NY over the summer, I would be helping my future job search when applying for positions back home, but was this worth not seeing my friends and family? In the end, I chose to take the internship with Tory Burch with hopes that working towards my long term goal would be best for me. There was really no right or wrong decision in this situation for me because I could see myself being both thankful and regretful at the same time for making either decision. Sometimes, you just have to push aside your critical analysis and just make a decision when one is needed. It made me realize that I’m at a point in my life where my choices are going to have direct consequences on aspects of my life, and that real planning needs to be put in place if I don’t want to lose control of my life. One thing I did to sort out my decision was I put together a 5 year and a 10 year life plan for myself, mapping out different aspects of my life, including career, health, and relational. These things are important to think about and develop an understanding of what you want. It’s never too early to start planning.