How I Picked My College Major

Growing up, I always pictured myself as an elementary school teacher. I even shadowed one of my moms’ friends in the 8th grade, who was a 2nd grade teacher; it was such a rewarding experience. I was also inclined to go into teaching after years of assisting my mom when she taught Sunday School. In the end after speaking with my own teachers and my parents’ friends who were teachers, everyone recommended against going into the teaching field as they said I could find something that makes me just as happy, without draining me on a daily basis. This led me to finding my unexpected passion in life, while still knowing I could find other activities that allowed me to influence children in a different way. To this day, I am so grateful to have found a career path that I love, that will never be “work” for me.

My major for college was discovered at the end of my sophomore year, going into the start of junior year. A friend of mine had gone to an apparel design program in New York, something that was completely new to me and she came back knowing that wasn’t for her in life. This opened my mind up to viewing apparel design as a career and not just a dream little girls have about becoming a fashion designer. At the time, I wanted to go to an art or fashion school, but my parent’s said I had to attend a university, as they were worried I’d want to change my major after the first year. I always had a keen eye for fashion, but that was just an everyday experience for me, never had I expressed interested in it becoming my career, mostly because I wasn’t aware it could be.

I toured The University of Alabama in January 2017, but I had already committed by November 2016. Looking back on it, that was a huge leap of faith as I had never seen the campus or lifestyle before, but I just knew if I had to go to a “real” college, it was going to be in the South. After I took the formal tour of the University grounds, my college recruiter from South Florida set a meeting up for myself to tour Doster, the Human Environmental Sciences College at UA. During this private tour, I had the chance to meet with a professor to determine if I wanted to study apparel and textile design, interior design, or apparel merchandising.

I personally knew, apparel merchandising was the easy way out for me and would require little of my creativity that I knew I was capable of. It was comfortable, being more business-based and having more lecture settings, whereas the interior and apparel/textile design programs were more demanding in regards to hands-on work and scarily new to me. I had never sewn (other than a few pairs of pointe shoes) or drawn before, as I didn’t realize these skills could become a career compared to the more logical majors like business and marketing that I was being urged to look into. Those just didn’t fulfill my creative desire.

For a short while, and for a short while I mean the duration of our meeting, I considered interior design as I love home decor and everything regarding life at home, but that’s just not where my heart was for the long haul. The professor soothed my moms’ fears about my slim sewing skills and no experience with anything relating to apparel design, and said the program starts from the ground up, fully teaching me everything I’ll need to know to have my own label one day.

Ultimately, apparel and textile design is what I majored in and now that I am well into Junior year, I have come a long way from making pajama bottoms and simple skirts, let me tell you. Some days, I’d have to physically leave the design lab after the machine “ate” my fabric and made a huge thread monster, as I like to call it. That still happens sometimes, but thankfully not nearly as often, nor do I become as flustered. Currently, I have made a sloper to my measurements, the foundation piece for making custom patterns, and designed my own pattern for a peridot colored one sleeve blouse and a matching skirt. This will be photographed on my model for my final grade in December, so stay tuned to see my final creation.

If my 17 year old self could see me working in the sewing labs I toured almost 3 years ago, I think she would die at my abilities that seemed so unachievable. At that time, I was so overwhelmed at the sight of the labs, equipment and all that I would have to learn, but I am so grateful to say my hard work has paid off and I’m just that much closer to designing for my own label. As I wrote this, it reminded me of the dream I had and didn’t let the weary people around me bring down my impending success. Anything you put your mind to can be achieved, as long as your heart is in the same place.

XOXO,

Kenzie Rae