Soon-to-be Graduates Think About the Future
Sharon Brand (MA Fashion Studies ’20) and four other MA Fashion Studies students graduating this May talk about how they see their post-graduation futures.
As our time at Parsons Paris is coming to an end, my fellow future graduates and I are planning out our future.
Thinking about the future for me is looking out for every single opportunity I can be a part of. I say yes to everything that is handed towards me. I volunteer if I can. I get involved in different projects and with different people. Sometimes, it could mean getting out of my comfort zone, but every single experience I’ve said yes to has led me where I am today. Thinking about the future, to me, is staying happy, while working in a field I love, which will always be fashion but more specifically the influencer marketing, the digital and social media world. My goals for the next three months at Parsons is to learn as much as I can, not rush in the writing of my thesis, take in as much as I can from the talks, activities, the Parsons Paris community offers.
Thinking about the future means looking for different job opportunities, networking, fixing up our CVs and portfolios… Finally the time has almost come to say goodbye to Parsons Paris and go into the real world. With the values and work ethics the school has taught us, here is what some of my classmates have planned for the future.
Sandra Mathey
I plan to stay in Paris at least until mid-2021. As for jobs, I am looking for a way to merge my experience in fashion design and trend forecasting, and the knowledge that I have gained throughout these two years in the MA Fashion Studies program. I am currently looking for positions in either trend forecasting or consumer research. However, in the near future, I plan to apply to Ph.D programs in the US and Europe so I plan to relocate when and if I get accepted to a fully-funded program.
Nicolette Contursi
As my time at Parsons Paris comes to a close, I look to the future with great excitement! After being a student for so long, it’s a great feeling to finally be able to apply everything I have learned to an industry I am so passionate about. Ideally, I would like to stay in Paris after graduation. The city has given me so much inspiration and motivation over the past four years and I feel that it has so much more to offer professionally. I am in the process of applying for internships, hoping to achieve a position in fashion marketing or branding. Being able to apply the knowledge I have gained in the Fashion Studies program along with my creative skills is my goal. Further into the future, I hope to launch my own business, however I plan on gaining as much experience as I can. For me, the future is about taking any opportunity that comes my way. I want to experiment with my interests and craft new skills through experience.
Molly Apple
The future for me is very daunting because there are so many things I want to do. I have to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to do it all at once – one opportunity can lead to the next naturally. With my background in textile and graphic design I want to infused those artistic skills with the more analytical knowledge I’ve gained at Parsons in the Fashion Studies MA program. My goal is to find a 6 month fashion branding or art direction image creation stage in Paris with a brand that aligns with my aesthetic sensibilities after graduation. I am also planning on continuing the magazine I launched in October 2019 and growing the team, though this will always be a side project where I can have fun and experiment with ideas going within the industry. I feel very open to any opportunity that comes my way – that being said I’m also applying to many internships near and far because you never know unless you try!
Victoria Nergaard
After graduating from this program, for me it’s most important to find something steady to pay off my student loans. Ideally I would love to work in magazine publishing, however that’s not realistic career choice unfortunately, so I will likely look for a position in a branding related role as I’d like to continue to work in a fashion sector that combines an analytical perspective on fashion as well as creative work. As much as I would love to stay in France, that is also not really financial reality for me as I so many companies require a six month internship before hiring, and I cannot afford to survive and pay my loans on an intern salary. Hopefully one day in the near future I will return to France, but my first priority is entering a creative side of fashion business and get back on my feet again.
And you? How are you planning the future after you graduate from Parsons Paris?