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BriAnna DellaSala, a senior marketing student in the Pforzheimer Honors College at Pace University, always dreamed of working in the fashion industry. “I loved fashion, but I knew I wasn’t good enough at drawing to go the design route,” said DellaSala. “I knew that I was a really good businesswoman. My dad is in finance and I can negotiate with him really well, so I knew I had that business mind with math and management.”
When deciding on a college, being in an urban center with strong business and fashion industries was very important to her. “When I toured Pace, my guide went on and on about all the great internships here, and I knew that I really wanted to intern in college, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity,” said DellaSala. “I also really loved the campus and how it wasn’t a traditional college setting, because I am not a traditional person.”
It was at Pace that she began combining her love of fashion with the necessary business skills. DellaSala joined Styleta, Pace’s former fashion club, before partnering with Cindy Nguyen ’16, on the executive board of Pace’s current fashion group, Profashionals. The student group is comprised of students looking to land internships and careers in the world of fashion, and organizes events, networking and informative meetings.
Taking advantage of Pace's extensive career network, DellaSala secured internships with some of the biggest names in fashion. From freshman year onward, she held various positions both during school and over the summer working for brands such as Lux and Eco, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen and Salvatore Ferragamo. "Interning has been so important to me, because I was able to figure out what I do and don’t like," she said.
With graduation nearing, DellaSala plans to work in the fashion industry as either an assistant merchandiser or assistant buyer until she is ready to pursue graduate school in either New York or London. None of the opportunities, she said, would have been possible without her decision to attend Pace.
“Pace has allowed me to be in the perfect location and in the center of it all,” said DellaSala. “I bounced around a lot in the fashion industry and was able to try as many things as possible within my interest to find what I enjoy most.”
