Dream Job to Actual Job by Ashley

Dream Job to Actual Job by Ashley - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

At seven years old, teachers ask their students what they want to be when they grow up. Most say jobs like doctors, police officers, teachers, et cetera. One key factor those jobs have in common is a college degree. College is not for everyone, but I can safely say college is for me. I knew freshman year of high school, I wanted to attend college for fashion. At seven, I was putting together outfits and fashion shows in the middle of my grandma's living room. My world revolved around colored pencils, drawing outfits on croquis, sewing machines, fabrics, and thread. Eleven years later, nothing has changed. My passion for fashion has only progressed as I learn more about the industry.
I am currently in my fourth semester at Kent State University and I have already learned so much about the fashion and business industry. Some of my favorite classes include Sustainable Fashion, Consumer Behavior, Fashion Retail Industry, and Apparel Analysis. Sustainable Fashion opened my eyes to how much plastic each person and a whole country consumes and then throws out daily to yearly. There is so much waste in the fashion industry, not only plastic, and surrounding problems with fast fashion companies. I have learned similar topics in apparel analysis since the class teaches the specifics of how garments are made. Consumer behavior taught me how to market to a group of people through psychology and marketing tactics while the retail industry taught me how to sell those products or services. Again, since I am only halfway through college, I have much more to learn.
My short-term goal is to continue my education at Kent State and learn other key aspects of fashion. I will study abroad in Florence in the spring semester of 2026 and get first-hand international experience. The experience will be extremely beneficial once I score a job out of college, regardless of what job I pursue. As of now, I want to pursue a career as a buyer in the fashion industry. Buyers are responsible for buying stock, trend forecasting, assessing the sustainability and quality of products, forming interpersonal relationships, pricing and planning products, and sometimes designing store layouts.
My long-term goal is to work in the NHL in a fashion or business-related career since I fell in love with watching the sport a little over a year ago. Part of the reason I started watching hockey was attending my college's hockey games in my freshmen year. My friend encouraged me to go since I had never been to a hockey game before, and after the first period, I loved the atmosphere and watching the fast-paced sport firsthand. Ever since I have attended as many Kent hockey games as possible. I also recently participated in the Cleveland Monsters: Women in Hockey Networking event to stick my foot into the sports industry. 
With this scholarship, I could continue my dream of pursuing fashion at Kent State. By continuing my education at Kent for fashion and business, I will be able to achieve my dream of working in the fashion industry, whether I eventually own a business or become a CEO. In all, I want to pursue a career that would make my younger self proud and thrilled. After years of obsessing over fashion, I could finally live my life working a job in my dream industry.