When Style Gurus are with the site for a while, I begin to feel like I know them on a personal level. I see how they grow as writers, photographers and even Fashionistas. Kellen Fitzgerald was a Style Guru at Fordham for an impressive NINE semesters with CollegeFashionista. Besides being a Style Guru, Kellen also was a marketing intern in our offices. In fact, it was that very position and a chance encounter that lead Kellen down the path to her current role as the online marketing coordinator at Ann Taylor. While we miss her talents and charisma here at CollegeFashionista, we are thrilled to see her thriving in her new role at Ann Taylor. Read about Kellen’s journey below!
It’s ironic, but more so appropriate, to mention that I wouldn’t be able to write this had it not been for my experience at CollegeFashionista. I can trace my career breadcrumbs back to my very first day as CollegeFashionista’s marketing intern, when I arrived at the office just to dash out the door to a fairly impromptu photo shoot at the Ann Taylor studio. Amy was working with Ann Taylor on a new ‘day-to-night’ campaign and I had been lucky enough to get swept up in her fashion-packed schedule.
With no one under the age of 22 at an arm’s length, Amy and the photography team made use of the awe-struck intern in the corner and decided to throw me into the frame (figuratively, of course). Before I even had time to blink, people were pinning, spinning and styling me in Ann Taylor from every angle. This was followed by my feeble attempt to look calm and collected in a slew of street style photographs. But nevertheless, countless frames and footwear changes later, I left the first day of my internship at CollegeFashionista in total elation.
A few months later, Amy was kind enough to bring me along to the Ann Taylor press previews and holiday events, and eventually recommended that I apply for an internship in their marketing department. Knowing that she would only recommend the best of the bunch, I took her suggestion to heart and soon found myself back in the Ann Taylor office that summer, and then again after graduation—but this time for good.
After itching to make it back to Ann for the remainder of my college career, I now work as the online marketing coordinator for the Ann Taylor brand. From brainstorming to briefing, I see our digital marketing campaigns from idea to execution. Whether we’re supporting sales with promotional marketing, edging in editorials or revamping a lookbook, my day-to-day duties all ensure that our daily mass marketing reaches the client with our best foot forward.
Although the ever-changing cadence of digital marketing can seem endless at times, I am constantly learning and adapting to new ways to present a brand voice in a way that’s not only compelling for clients, but innovative enough to distinguish us from our competitors—a task that I certainly would never have been able to grasp had it not been for the digitally-forward campaigns I was exposed to at CollegeFashionista.
So although my time at CollegeFashionista has concluded, I still feel its influence on my work every day and could not be more grateful for the opportunities it has opened up for me. Though short and sweet, it certainly feels great to be back!