Teen Vogue Fashion University!

Class Is Officially In Session!

I was extremely lucky to have been accepted to attend the Fashion University hosted by Teen Vogue. I got accepted to the Editorial/PR & Social side of the university and I had such an amazing experience. Not only did I get to meet the editors of Teen Vogue (including Amy Astley, EIC), but I got to meet some amazing people in the industry such as Claiborne Swanson Frank, Hannah Bronfman, and Carly Heitlinger! I mingled with some of the most important people in the industry, passed out my resume, collected business cards, took a lot of notes, and of course did a little shopping. All of the editors and guest speakers were so awesome to talk to. They were all humble and down to earth. They made you feel important when you were having your one on one time with them. This opportunity was remarkable and I definitely learned a lot. I want to attend TVFU every year!

So let me start by explaining what Teen Vogue Fashion University is. I found the link to apply on Facebook and thought why not? I applied, answered all of the questions, submitted my resume and some work I've done and the next day I received an e-mail saying that I had been accepted. Now, as you hear Jason Wagenheim say that we were the 550 students who made the cut out of the thousands that applied. Now I don't know about you, but I think that that's quite an accomplishment. I almost burst into tears I was so excited. For those who don't know, I have been obsessed with Teen Vogue, since well I was a teenager. I have admired Amy Astley and what she has done in this industry. Once I realized what I wanted to do in high school I knew that the magazine that I wanted to work for Teen Vogue. Unfortunately, Condé Nast no longer offers internships at their magazine companies, which if I may be blunt, it sucks! So this was a chance that I had to take. It was hosted from March 13th through the 15th and I had my own personal schedule of seminars that I would be attending throughout the weekend.

So this was my schedule for Teen Vogue Fashion University. As I stated before I was in the Edit, Pr, and Social Major. There was 550 students, but we were all broken up into three majors and then those two majors were broken up into two separate classes. I started Friday night at the Mix & Mingle hosted by Express in Times Square. This is where I met a ton of the Teen Vogue editors and their assistants and other Teen Vogue workers. It was such a quaint little party with great music, decorations, make up booths, and a photo booth! Like I said, all of the editors were so easy to talk to. They were informative and you could tell they were having just as much fun as we were.

Meeting my role model, Editor In Chief of Teen Vogue: Amy Astley.

Style Director: Andrew Bevan & Beauty and Health Director: Elaine Welteroth.

After the party, my cell phone had died, and I couldn't get a hold of my mom, so I hailed a taxi like a real New Yorker! I was pretty proud of myself for that one!

Saturday was a fun packed day! We started the day attending a seminar with Michelle Phan as our dean speaker. She started her career as a YouTube Beauty Guru and expanded her business and is now an entrepreneur in the beauty industry. The way she spoke was very inspirational. She talked a lot about how you shouldn't let other people define you or make you feel what you're doing is a waste of time. Do what you love because you love it. It's her love for beauty and sharing her knowledge that has made her a successful entrepreneur. She owns her own make up brand EM by Michelle Phan as well as IPSY. "It's not just a brand, but a personality behind the brand." - Michelle Phan.

"Be connected with yourself. Don't be scared if you're not on the right path." - Michelle Phan.

The next seminar I attended was Claiborne Swanson Frank. She's a very well known photographer who has shot for several magazines, advertisements, and has even published two books. Her photographs are amazing. It's hard to capture the inner beauty when photographs only show the outside beauty, however she does it beautifully.

She was very influential when she spoke. Mostly because she was so relatable. She talked about how there was a point in her life where she was lost. She didn't know what she wanted to do but she knew that magazines, fashion, and her camera inspired her. She was hungry for answers and wanted to explore the world. "So much of life is about what you long to do." - Claiborne Swanson Frank.

Plus, she did a spread on Lea Michele in her new book, so that's a double win for me!

"Being lost is a gift and if you work hard you can be found. It's important to be lost." - Claiborne Swanson Frank.

Next, was Kate Davidson Hudson. She has made a name for herself by working for Elle and now The Editlist. She has a keen eye for fashion and knowing what the next hottest trends will be in the future. She took her love for fashion and access to the industry and put that access online for everyone. "E-commerce is the fastest growing channel in the business. So much is going online." - Kate Davidson Hudson.

One of my favorite classes was the Editors Panel. The panel consisted of (left to right): Senior Entertainment Editor Dana Matthews, Senior Public Relations Director Erin Kaplan, Senior Beauty and Health Director Elaine Welteroth, Senior Social Media Director Drew Elovitz, and of course Editor In Chief Amy Astley. This panel was so amazing and I wrote about five pages of notes! Each director was so amazing, they talked about how much they love their jobs and working for Teen Vogue. They gave such amazing advice for when applying to internships, jobs, and how to make a kick ass resume! "It is work, but if you know it's your passion then it comes naturally." - Drew Elovitz.

BLOGGER PANEL TIME! This must have been one of my most favorite seminars all day. I don't know if any of you have heard about 'The College Prepster,' but she is amazing! She is such a talented writer and I can relate to just about everything she says. It was so amazing to learn from her and of course- meet her!

She was incredible! I am a bit picky when it comes to public speaking and I judge people hard core in the way that they speak. If someone uses the word "um" a lot, it drives me insane. Carly was nothing like that though. She spoke clear and precise. The biggest thing was though, was that she was so passionate about what she was saying. "If you're not finding time for it, you;re not prioritizing for it. If it's something you want to do you'll find time for it." - Carly Heitlinger

I might also have had a fan girl moment about being on www.thecollegeprepster.com! It's amazing to have met such a wonderful, young, talented, and relatable blogger in my line of business.

"Set yourself up for success. Know when you start it, you need to love it." - Carly Heitlinger

The closing speaker of the day was Hannah Bronfman. For such a young woman she has a great head on her shoulder. She was relaxed and you could tell that she was being herself the whole time. She really wanted to connect with the young audience because she was in our shoes not too long ago. Hannah Bronfman is the co-creator of the Beautified app and the founder of the wellness blog HBfit. She was definitely inspiring and wanted to truly share her knowledge with the audience. She is devoted to building positivity and wellness and teach others how to build a relationship with themselves. At such a young age (24!!) she has made a name for herself in the industry and producing a fantastic website to promote a healthy lifestyle.

"Watching someone you love go through their own demons can make you really want to change your life." - Hannah Bronfman

For my Sunday morning Keynote Speaker was Erika Bearman the PR Director for Oscar De La Renta. She really took the fashion world by surprise when she opened up the world behind the curtains of a fashion show and showed that side of the industry online. Her twitter account @OscarPRGirl became one of the most popular twitter accounts to ever be created. "There's no right time, you just have to do what's right in your heart." - Erika Bearman. Erika really didn't know what she wanted to do during college, however she always had a fire in her stomach that knew there was something special out there for her. She was very honest and blunt about the industry as well. "No one's going to do it for you. No one cares about your career except you," she told the audience. Erika spoke with not only passion in her voice and you could see it in her eyes how much she loves her job. "You just want to enjoy what you're doing and until you're doing it you don't really know what it is." - Erika Bearman.

"You have to do things sometimes before you're ready for them." - Erika Bearman

So that wrapped up my Fashion U experience, it was a fantastic one that I will remember for the rest of my life. I took it very seriously and will use what I learned this past weekend into my career. I hope I'm lucky enough to attend next year too!