Textiles to Advertising to Textiles

Could you walk us through your educational journey and explain why you decided to pursue the degrees you did? 

I got a Bachelor’s in apparel design because it was the only major I was interested in doing. I wasn’t really exposed to a lot of career opportunities and have always liked fashion. After I got this degree, I spent a year abroad working random jobs throughout Europe and decided to go back to school and get a degree that was a bit broader. Marketing and advertising sounded fun and existed in every city, and I took one class in advertising in undergrad. I decided to get a master’s in advertising at UT, focused on branding, consumer perception of brands, and how brands interact with consumers. I was on the account services branding side and started to realize when we were doing advertising campaigns, I enjoyed it the most when it was a fashion brand that I could relate to. After graduating, I worked in different jobs on the marketing side of apparel brands and later on wanted to go back to academia, so I got Ph.D. 

What inspired you to pursue an advertising master’s degree in Texas?

I was in Kansas City and wanted to leave the midwest. While I was traveling in Europe, I picked the four top advertising graduate programs in the nation which included UT Austin. I visited Austin and was sold on the city. 

Could you highlight any major takeaways from your professional career? 

I learned you have to at least ask. I was involved in a fun photoshoot in PR, because I asked if I could participate in it. They let me join even though it wasn’t part of my role: I was in merchandising and there were a lot of spreadsheets, but because I asked, I was pulling costumes from the wardrobe and running around New York.  

I also walked away from an internship and realized I didn’t want to sit behind a desk and look at spreadsheets. I learned to see what fits you better as a person.

How have you seen your experience in Textiles/Apparel and Advertising work together either in the field or as you teach?

They work together really well. Once I moved into consumer behavior research on how people respond and react to brands, I looked at fashion and apparel brands and how to market them and how consumers connect to these brands. 

What advice would you give prospective and current M.A. Advertising students of UT? 

I was never truly in advertising. I was more in marketing. From my experience, it was so hard to get into an advertising agency for internships. My advice to current students is to work harder to get an internship at an advertising agency to get a foot in the door. My advice for prospective students is to find the right fit. I visited Austin to find the right fit, and this decision was only for me.