Meet Marisa Flacks, our Campus Celebrity of the week! Marisa is an entrepreneur (check out her company’s website, http://www.thestylealmanac.com/), double majoring in anthropology and communication, setting an incredible example of what it means to be a true #girlboss. Read on to find out how she’s making a positive impact for other young, passionate go-getters, both here at Rutgers and beyond our community:
1. What motivated you to start your own business and what would you want people to know about The Style Almanac’s mission who aren’t familiar with it yet?
I wanted to start The Style Almanac because throughout my many internships in the fashion industry I noticed a gap where there was a lack of recognition for the young talent of our generation. We see new designers, bloggers, and names in the fashion industry every day, but the hardworking students who are the future of the fashion industry are rarely praised, so I wanted to start a platform for their work to be recognized and shown to the world. I describe The Style Almanac as a platform for this generation’s emerging designers, photographers, and visual artists in the fashion industry.
2. You have a very unique combined background in anthropology and fashion/communication – how do you hope to bring those two passions together in your career path after graduation?
Like I mentioned earlier, I started my career with many internships in the corporate fashion industry, but after a while I felt like something was missing. When I found Cultural Anthropology, it was the missing link. I was able to study fashion, art, and design through a social justice and global lens. I hope to bring the two together by working for fashion with a cause, whether that is with fair-trade fashion (my current position) or with youth designers, etc.
3. What motivated you to start Global Citizens at Rutgers and what does the club do?
Global Citizens was the brainchild of my amazing roommate Marie Callahan, and I. We both had a passion for global issues and education, and wanted to spread the word about Global Citizenship on campus. The club itself is rapidly expanding with our amazing new exec board. They are currently launching a partnership with an elementary school in Botswana, and we also recently launched the Global Coalition for Social Change which is going to bring together clubs on campus with similar missions of social justice.
4. What’s your dream job after graduation?
Ah, I wish I knew the answer to this question. To be honest, even though I’m involved in so many things, I really don’t have a dream position. I would love to get some full time experience working in fashion or doing anthropology research. My big ‘end goal’ or where do you see yourself before retirement would be to have my PhD in Anthropology, having completed research about the global fashion industry and its effect on countries around the world.
5. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best piece of advice I ever received was from Marc Ecko when he came to visit Rutgers my Sophomore Year. He told me that the best class you’ll ever take is not in a classroom, it’s the experiences, internships, and clubs that give you real-world knowledge that can not be taught in a classroom.