Let’s meet sophomore Rania Bolton and cheers to her for being a hard working young female! She is a Consumer, Apparel and Retail Studies Major at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Follow her style blog Excuse Denied and stay up to date with her Instagram.

 

 

Rania’s Instagram post 

What is your intended career & what do you want to do with your degree? Why?

RB: I honestly want to do everything. I’m a Retail Studies major but would like to veer away from that and actually do something in the Creative Directing field, whether that be for a magazine or a clothing brand. I eventually want to work for myself though, because after having an internship this semester I realized that working for someone else can sometimes be a pain.

 

Do you think your undergraduate degree will prepare you for this career? Why or why not?

RB: I do… in some aspects. Like I said in the question before, I don’t really want to go into Retail. However, in most of my classes we learn about people (why people act and dress the way they do and why they buy things), so that could help in any career field I choose to take. I just want to dabble in pretty much every creative thing!

 

What advice would you give a freshman entering into school with the same goal or similar goal as you? 

RB: Network as much as possible! Network, network, network. I really started networking my Sophomore year, but I highly recommend you do so your Freshman year. Connections with people will get you far, especially if you connect with people at the potential place you would like to work or intern. I also recommend interning every year, if you can. Even if it’s not paid or not for a full semester, any experience counts!

 

What preparations do you think people in this career field should do in order to give them a well rounded experience while studying so they will be adequately prepared after graduation?

RB: Make great connections in your field and also at your University. The people that work in my department know my name because I make good grades and make a point to drop by and say “hello” every once in a while. They have helped me so much! You never know who could write you a great recommendation later when you need one.

 

Have you had internships, shadowing, temp or any opportunities in your field thus far? If so, what?

RB: Yes. I interned for the Former VP of Design and Fashion Director of Macy’s New York. I was her intern as she planned The Betty Creative Awards.

Do you think it was beneficial to what you intend to do after graduation? Why or why not?

RB: Yes. This is said internship that taught me that I don’t want to work for anyone (hah). But no really, it was a bittersweet experience. I learned a lot about myself and about other people that will be helpful in the long run.

 

What extracurriculars do you have? What is your position in them? Why did you decide to get involved?

RB: I’m currently the secretary for THREADS, an organization for the Consumer Apparel and Retail Studies majors at my school. I will be the Event Coordinator for next year. I decided to get involved because this is the only fashion related organization on campus and it seemed interesting. It’s cool to be around people that are in the same position as you are.

 

– I’m also a member of University Marshal, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor’s Society and the Lloyd International Honors Program. These are all organizations that are merit based.

 

– I’m currently working on a fashion publication, Distressed Magazine, with my two friends. It’s going to be something that positively reflects our department and will leave a great legacy when we graduate.

 

– I’m in a new web series, College Hill: PWI, which positively represents motivated black students who attend a PWI.

Also, why did you start blogging? What is your blog called? What is it about? Is it connected to your future career goals? What preparations do you think it has offered you? How do you think blogging has impacted your career field?

RB: Believe it or not, I’ve had about 3-4 different blogs. I only got serious about on, Excuse Denied, about a year ago. I started blogging because I thought I had something important to share. It’s been a passion project that hasn’t always been easy, but I love it too much to give up. It’s about style and lifestyle. I try to create cool graphics and funny stories to share to my readers. Blogging has lead me to the world of Creative Directing. By having a blog, I’m constantly creating different content that I hope my readers will enjoy. It’s not all about the pretty pictures, but about creating an experiences that the readers will love and keep coming back for me.

What would you say are three top things everyone in your field should have on their resume?

RB: Experience (whether it’s work, volunteer or intern experience, experience in a class, projects you have worked on in your major, etc), your Objective and your Community Service work.

 

What is your inspiration from the fashion industry? Why?

RB: Pretty much everything inspires me. What inspires me most are those editors who majored in something completely different from what they do now. This just reassures me that I can do whatever I set my mind to, even if it doesn’t necessarily fall in line with what I major in.