Wow! We are finally here! After arriving at the hotel ahead of schedule, we were free to hit the town! Our first stop was Times Square to purchase some phenomenally priced tickets to The Phantom of the Opera, only my favorite show ever! Then we headed over to Rockefeller Center, did a quick lap around, drooled over an amazing chocolate store, and then headed over to Saks Fifth Avenue to soak up some fashion inspiration. It was paradise, as always.

By the Rainbow Room where fans wait eagerly to be on The Tonight Show.

Chocolate, chocolate everywhere, at La Maison Du Chocolat.

My personal favorites are the macarons however.

Saks!!

The visual displays were to die for!

A lovely Alexander McQueen display.

Gucci purses

Oscar de la Renta gowns. Gorgeous textures.

I absolutely loved this Moschino coat.

Who am I kidding, I loved the WHOLE Moschino collection!

And of course, Agent Provocateur.

Look!! Our Phantom tickets!! I could literally watch this show every night for a year, and sob every time. If you haven’t seen it, you really need to. But honestly, just attend any Broadway show, at least once! You won’t regret it!

Outside the theatre. It was the perfect night for a show, so warm!

The fabulous stage! Can I live here?

Well, that’s about all for today! I can’t wait to update you on all the excitement that tomorrow brings! First stop, Tommy Hilfiger trip! But for now, off to sleep!

On Saturday, October 3rd, I was fortunate enough to be invited to help Charles Men’s Shop work the annual Batavia Wine Walk. It was a marvelous event, and I could not believe the turn out!

For those of you who may not know, Charles Men’s Shop, family owned and operated since 1947, is Batavia’s number one choice for fine men’s clothing. Located at 200 E Main St., Charles Men’s Shop is your store when you are searching for personal and professional service, and the finest in menswear brands. In addition, they have long been known for their expertise in big and tall and hard to fit gentlemen.

I was not able to leave my post, but my family was kind enough to provide me with some pictures of all the hustle and bustle.

Just look at this huge line waiting to get in Charles Men’s Shop! It was amazing! Maggie (my co-greeter) and myself had all we could do to keep up with everyone!

Don Brown, the VP of the store posing with the most popular man of the night. This scarecrow was Selfie Central.The adorable Maggie, whom I just met that night, and am greatly looking forward to working with in the future.

  And a very sly picture taken of me through the store window. 

Even this Batavia Downs Gaming promotional vehicle was spotted on the scene.

Local staff at Oakfield-Alabama Central School thoroughly enjoying the event.

Nearly 700 tickets were sold for the Wine Walk this year, and the turnout was incredible despite the rain! Perhaps the weather just added to the cozy Fall atmosphere. Thank you very much for having me Charles Men’s Shop, and thanks for arranging the whole fantastic opportunity Mrs. Ehrhart! I would be overjoyed to help out next year, and in any way I can until then.

I cannot believe that in just a few short days, the GCC fashion students will embark on our annual NYC trip! I have been counting down the days for months!  Our fabulous instructors have secured some truly amazing educational field trips for us, but don’t worry, there’s also plenty of time built in for shopping and taking in the sights.Let me just give you a quick rundown of the wonderful opportunities that we are fortunate enough to have been provided access to:

 

Tommy Hilfiger: I’m sure that everyone has heard of Tommy Hilfiger, but just in case, let me jot down a few words. This immensely popular designer does Preppy with an attitude! His looks have been swept up since the early 1990’s, and he’s a personal favorite of my mom.

Buffalo Jeans: First launched in Canada in 1985 as a womenswear and menswear label and now sells to prestigious stores such as Macy’s, and Bloomingdales, and has been worn by A–list celebs like Christina Aguilera, Halle Berry, and Brad Pitt just to name a few.

Collegefashionista.com: This technological marvel provides information on current trends, fashion editorials, features guest bloggers, and even snapshots of what national fashion students are wearing. It’s incredible, and I highly recommend checking them out!

LIM: Located in midtown Manhattan, the fashion capital of the world, LIM College prepares students for exciting careers in every aspect of the business of fashion.Whichever program you choose, you’ll be immersed in the real-world business of fashion starting on day one. Internships, guest speakers and field trips in the heart of Manhattan are all integral parts of your LIM College education. In the process, you’ll make industry connections that lay the groundwork for a successful career.

BradLink Communications: BrandLink Communications is a full-service media relations, marketing and special events agency that focuses on the luxury, consumer goods, fashion, beauty, hospitality, and entertainment industries.

National Arts Club: The mission of The National Arts Club is to stimulate, foster and promote public interest in the arts and educate the American people in the fine arts.We will be attending a Fashion Speak Friday event on the topic of Steampunk fashion!! Now, as someone who has been absolutely obsessed with Steampunk since I was eleven years old, I am beyond thrilled!

I can’t wait to keep you updated on all the fun and excitement!! Be checking your social media for our hashtag: #GCCINNYC

Guess what everybody, I am so pleased and excited to announce that I am now a proud member of GCC’s Alpha Epsilon Gamma!! What’s extra awesome, is that my sister got in too! Now we’re double sisters! It was a crazy couple of weeks of attending potential new member meetings, and I’m sure the six week orientation will be crazier still, but I am thoroughly loving every second of it! All of the girls seem so sweet and supportive, and I’m really looking forward to lots of laughs and love. Check out some pictures from the Induction night!

We all had to wear white, so my sister and I took a special (last minute) trip to the Galleria mall. Aren’t these shoes I found gorgeous??

My sister, me, and our new sister, Fuka! We’ve known her for a while, and are so glad she’s in the sorority too!After Induction pic to remember the moment!And a giant selfie with the Dean! 🙂

The induction ceremony itself was so sweet, but I can’t go into details. I can say that we were given Alpha Epsilon Gamma T-shirts (long sleeve, which will be SO nice in the coming months) and GCC Think Purple shirts to bring awareness to domestic violence. We were also given these cute AEG bracelets to wear during the orientation period.

Adorable, right?I can’t wait to see what’s in store with my new AEG sisters, and to blog all about it!! We will be participating in lots of upcoming events, as well as doing volunteer work, I’ll let you know how orientation goes! 😉

So just last Thursday I joined the film club! There’s only been one meeting thus far, but I can already tell you that I am very excited to make some movie magic with such a diverse group of students. Everybody seems so friendly and eager to create, and I just can’t wait to see what we all come up with together! Since we’re on the subject, I might as well take this time to share my “top films”/ films I am most influenced by. This list is by no means definitive, and I’ll probably remember about twenty more after I publish it, but here’s my best shot for early in the morning!

**Oh, and I am NOT numbering these, because they are in no particular order.**

The Princess Bride

Leon the Professional 

Kamikaze Girls

Heathers

Lolita (1962 Kubrick)

Edward Scissorhands

Labyrinth 

The Warriors

Interview With the Vampire

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Alright, that’s about all I can think of at the moment. I am immensely influenced by the aesthetics of these films in all I do creatively. I’m sure that they will work there way very heavily into my fashion design. If you haven’t seen any of these films, I cannot recommend them enough! And hey, invite me and we’ll have a movie night! 🙂

With all the hustle and bustle you might have just cruised on by some very important information! The college is packed full of bulletin boards and flyers advertising everything from club meetings, sports tryouts, and new classes and seminars! So stop and take a look around! You certainly don’t want to miss out on the activity of your dreams, just because you didn’t see the sign. I snapped some pictures of a few very valuable signs around the campus, but there’s lots more where these came from!

Open Mic Night, feeling daring??Historical Horizons: A Fall 2015 Lecture Series. Anybody want to be pitch perfect? 😉You just can’t beat learning, AND pizza!Grammar & Paragraph Mastery could be an amazing class for anyone struggling with college level writing practices.The opportunity to work for a real radio station?!? That’s amazing!!

Now you know some of the great opportunities you might have missed just strolling around the campus. What are you waiting for, go check them out! You won’t regret it!

*Just a side note, how adorable is this lovely fairy house?!

I have breaking news for you today! My business classes at Genesee Community College have been so marvelous, and inspired me so much, that I’m starting a business! “What kind of business?”,  you may ask. Well, I’m more than happy to answer that question. For the past few weeks I have been busy crafting resin jewelry, and just this week I excitedly entered the realm of decoden. “What’s decoden??”, some of you might say. Well, here’s an explanatory picture:

Anyways, I will be selling resin jewelry, decoden phone cases, compact mirrors, handheld game console cases, and contact lens cases, and in the very near future I plan on expanding into cameos and rings. I will be putting together an online shop shortly (I’ll keep you posted), and i hope to also sell products physically at local events/conventions. This is incredibly exciting for me, and something that I have always wanted to do. Without further ado, check out some pictures of what I have going thus far!

Lots more in progress!!This case was made for my sister.This one, is a gift for my mom.This one is for me!

And here is a cute Steampunk/Victorian one that doesn’t have a home yet.

I can’t wait to see what the future has in store!

As promised, here’s a little summary of the Disney internship meeting I attended. Hopefully this will help those of you who weren’t able to attend, or who are still tossing the idea around!

Alright, time to consult my neon pink Walt Disney World College Program Frequently Asked Questions handout, or “What to know before you go.” Let me just highlight the most important information for you:

*The most current information on the Disney College Program can be found at http://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com

*All GCC students are eligible to participate, even if your program of study does not require an internship or cooperative education.

*You must be enrolled in classes at least part-time the semester PRIOR to participating.

*Participants must be in good academic standing, and have completed at least 24 credits.

*GCC suggests attending in your second year of study.

*Disney arranges interviews and hires interns twice a year.

*If you interview in the Fall and are selected, you can attend from January-March (Spring), or January-August (Spring Advantage). If you interview in the spring you can attend August-December (Fall), or May-December (Fall Advantage).

*If you need to be a full-time student due to financial aid or other reasons GCC can work with you, and offers many online classes.

*Walt Disney World offers many courses, however only some are accepted by GCC. Disney courses are FREE, and provide tremendous educational opportunities, and are great resume builders.

*The jobs offered are mainly entry level positions that Disney will train you for. A complete list is available on their website.

*Yes, you will get PAID.

*A $100 deposit is required when you accept a position, a $200 non-refundable housing/recreation deposit and the cost of transportation to and from Orlando is also an expense you will incur.

Curious to know even more? Maybe you want a first hand perspective? Check out this great blog post by Theme Park Princess, a veteran of the Disney college experience.

I really hope that this was helpful, and that it will inspire you to go for it, and chase the Disney dream! I can’t think of a more magical internship experience. 

Over the summer my sister and I volunteered in an ESL class here at GCC, taught by Mr. Kia Banej. Every Tuesday and Thursday we would walk into the school, and check the cafeteria with anticipation. If you attended classes here this summer, than you know that the area with all of the dining stations was under construction until very recently. We had to make due with pop and little snacks from the vending machine, while we excitedly awaited the return of the dining stations for the Fall semester.

Now I am ecstatic to say, the food is back! I came in really early in the morning to score some pictures of the newly renovated area, before the big rush of students hit. 

While all of the food offered here is exceptional, my favorite part has to be the salad bar. I’ve been getting a giant salad almost every day. Best part is (for me anyways) they offer fresh avocado, and lots of it!

Before

After
One of my typical salads…

For those of you looking for a little sugary pick me up, have no fear; we have munchies to satisfy your junk food cravings as well!

Although I highly recommend salads… 😉

Also, how many of you have seen these little flyers posted around the school? Disney internships, what could be better??! I will definitely be attending the meeting, and I’ll be sure to blog about it!P.S. It’s Paid!

It’s week number two here at GCC, but if you’re like me, you might still be having some trouble finding your way around these hallowed halls of learning. Well, I’m here to help! As I’m sure you already know, the Batavia campus is divided into three floors. Each floor however is divided into sections: A, B, C, and D (sometimes E, S, and T). The placement of these sections remains the same on each level. Jutting out from the school’s main hub are the Genesee Center For The Arts (Stuart Steiner Theatre), and the Conable Technology Building, labelled as E and T respectively. Building S contains meeting rooms, and Student Service Activities offices.

On the college’s first floor you can find the Gymnasium, and Campus Bookstore in Building A. The Cafeteria, Health Services, Public Safety, the Adult Education Opportunity Center, and the Child Care Center are in Building B. A lot of administrative offices including the President’s Office can be found in Building C, and the Library and Marketing Communications are in Building D.

On floor two you can find all sorts of classrooms of course, but let me point out some of the big destinations. In Building A you can find the Fitness Center, and the Swimming Pool, in Building B, the Career Services Center, Photography Darkroom, and the Sleep Lab. Admissions, the Financial Aid Office, the Dean of Students, and the V.P. of Student Affairs can all be found in Building C, and the Tutoring Center, Center for Academic Progress, and the Testing Center are all located in Building D.

Finally, the third floor. In Building A you can find the Language Lab, and WGCC. Building B has the Social Sciences Division, and an interactive classroom, and Building D contains the Physiology Lab, Veterinary Technology Offices, and the Computer Services/ACE Career Center.

This semester I’ve been really lucky, all of my classes are on the second floor, in Building D. A visitor’s guide, driving directions, and a map of the campus are all available HERE. Just in case you want to print out a copy of the map to keep on hand.