What is your background?: I was born and raised in Cedar Rapids Iowa by my parents, alongside my two younger brothers. My family has now grown to include my step mom and three step siblings. I was enrolled in the Linn Mar school district starting in kindergarten, where I very much enjoyed my math and art classes, until I later graduated from Linn Mar High School in 2024.
What brought you to Kirkwood and why?: I originally chose Kirkwood as a place to just get my general education classes done at a cheaper price before I transferred to a 4 year university. However, after visiting Kirkwood and asking the right questions I found that they actually offered the program that I was planning to take at the university. Since Kirkwood offered what I was looking for I decided to take that program here and get the two-year degree.
What is your program of study and what interests you about it?: I am in the Apparel Merchandising and Design program here at Kirkwood, which can be summed up as fashion. I have enjoyed all of the many hands-on experiences that we have like getting to be involved in photoshoots, our annual fashion show and exhibition, creating my own garment designs, styling, and creating visual displays. The fashion classes I have taken at Kirkwood have provided me with industry skills and given me confidence in my ability to find a great job in my field of study. I have also enjoyed practicing transferable skills while working through many of our fashion assignments, projects, and activities. I feel certain I can apply the transferable skills I have learned while earning my college degree when I begin my future career. Some of these skills include project management, teamwork, communication, time management, and leadership.
Are you involved in anything on campus?: I am the Vice President of the en Vogue Society here at Kirkwood, which is the fashion club that is run by the students of the Apparel Merchandising and Design program. In the club we get to be involved in fundraisers related to fashion, work with social media to help promote our program, and plan and create a few podcast episodes for our fashion podcast where we talk about fashion topics related to industry, being in fashion school, stigmas around fashion, personal style preferences and fashion pet-peeves.
I was also a Director of our 2026 Kirkwood Fashion Show and Exhibition, as well as the Retailer/Designer Merchandise Coordinator, and the Financial Coordinator. As a leader for this immense project, I had to ensure that my team was making progress on their task, while also continuing my own individual duties for the fashion show and exhibition. Part of my job, as a director, was to delegate tasks among my team, which I accomplished by considering their strengths and weaknesses while still giving everyone an equal opportunity to showcase their skills.
Finally, I have the honor of being one of the Editors-in-Chiefs of BRICOLAGE issue #7. BRICOLAGE is the fashion magazine of the Apparel Merchandising and Design program that also collaborates with the Visual Communication and Design program and our photographers Jacob Spiekermeier and Kirk Monson. I have had many experiences while working with the magazine including; directing, styling, image selection, and reviewing roles through the development of the magazine and its photos.
Are you involved in anything off campus?: Off campus, I am mostly involved in working at my two jobs, as well as executing my personal projects in my free time. I work at two local breweries here in Cedar Rapids, which typically takes up about six out of my seven nights a week. I have also spent most of my free time working on creating garments for our fashion show, and updating my professional website and LinkedIn to connect with people in industry. Many garments I have created have been upcycled pieces from items that I have thrifted, or teaching myself new skills with extra fabrics that I have lying around. I specifically have enjoyed learning to drape with many different and non-traditional draping fabrics, as well as learning to bead and embroider fabrics.
What do you do for fun?: For fun I like to hang out with my friends and family, and find new places to check out. Me and my best friend love getting super dressed up and wearing fun outfits around town. We love to check out new bars, breweries, or upscale restaurants with unique food, along with taking pictures around downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, or random cool places we find. Sometimes for fun we like to just walk through grocery stores or convenience stores in our outfits looking super out of place. I also love to take long drives and listen to music.
Where do you see yourself in five years?: In five years, I see myself living in a big city, hopefully somewhere south, where there is a large fashion industry presence. I hope to have completed a few internships within fashion companies so that I have enough experience to continue moving up in industry. I would like to be working for a mens or luxury womenswear designer or have a higher position in a company so I can learn tips and tricks for when I hope to start my own company. I will have a good ground work laid out for the rest of my future and lots of experience to continue my way up and get my name out there.