College: A Labyrinth of Self Discovery
College is a complex yet purposeful journey of finding who you are, especially for me.
Hello, my name is Vraj Patel! I am a South Asian queer student who is a Communication and Media Arts major at Montclair State University. Throughout college, I have a plethora of academic goals that I want to accomplish such as getting on the Dean’s list, achieving straight A’s in at least one semester, and getting an internship. However, the feats I have listed sound generic, and they are just the typical wants of a college student. Therefore, I come up with idealistic goals that might not even happen in my lifetime. For example, being an extra in a movie, music video, or a TV show. Although the goal does sound ridiculous, fantasizing beyond reality is one of my favorite characteristics I have because I hate when I corner myself into a box that is filled with doubts and insecurities. To obtain my dream position, I need to think outside of the box and step forward into an imaginative world that I have control over. Thus, I have been learning how to photoshop, advancing my editing skills, uploading randomly on TikTok or YouTube if I have the time, and revisiting hobbies to get inspiration for future projects.
Like I mentioned earlier, an interest of mine is video editing because I enjoy the process of me taking out clips, merging them, adding effects and texts when necessary, and incorporating background music or funny jokes when I want to. Furthermore, a pursuit I have is fashion because two of the YouTube videos I have made were outfit lookbooks that people can be inspired by. With my evolving fashion sense, I do cringe at those videos because they are outdated and elementary to me, but I am proud of myself for putting my presence out there. When I overlap the two, I almost create a career path for myself because I enjoy editing and fashion. Hence, I would ideally like to be a creative director or be a part of the advertising team in a clothing brand because I would get to experiment and magnify the brand’s vision. Also, I can incorporate my insight with my colleagues and construct the perfect way to captivate consumers in the brand’s new collection.
For the past year, I have been slowly building the foundation of my career by working in retail because I get to have hands-on experience on how the fashion industry functions. I started my first part-time job at DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) on September 17th, 2019. Throughout the months, I learned how to understand consumer behavior, calculate discounts for shoes, and coordinate a section of the store. Although I was only a sales associate, my managers helped me to adapt to the marketing component of the fashion industry. After quitting DSW in July, I was completely out of job for about two months and I needed to find something fast because college expenses were slowly kicking in. I applied to my local mall and got a job offer at Pacsun. Comparing my time at Pacsun with DSW, I have seen multiple differences because Pacsun caters to a younger demographic and most of my co-workers are fairly young as well. While at DSW, I was surrounded by only a few people my age and everyone else was older. Thus, Pacsun has become more enjoyable for me because I get to socialize with people my age and admire the different personas that are brought into the store. Also, my managers at Pacsun allowed me to advise the seasonal employees because I already had two months of experience under my belt. Therefore, I grasped the importance of leadership in the fashion industry because as an aspiring creative director, I have to communicate my suggestions with my colleagues and understand their ideas for us to innovate an amazing project for a clothing brand.
Personally, grit is defined as determination and perseverance. The larger amount of grit you have, the higher your spirits are. For instance, if you are terrified of heights yet you still muster up the courage to go on a tall rollercoaster, then you are slowly deconstructing your fear and moving beyond a label that has defined you in the past. In my life, I think I have a large amount of grit because I always loved stepping out of my comfort zone even if I was anxious. My courageousness can go from wearing crop tops in public to participating in large group discussions when no one is talking. I willingly express myself because my statement can allow others to join in and feel comfortable about the atmosphere I created. By utilizing my grit, I will figure out ways to push myself closer to my dream job by researching companies I want to work with, applying for internship opportunities, and continuously finding fashion inspirations throughout social media. When I enter the company, I will start at a lower position and build myself up because I want my hard work to be recognized and honored by my company. Once I become a creative director, I have an easier comprehension of the expectations that my colleagues have and vice versa. Therefore, I will be able to influence future generations through the fashion campaigns I formulate.
