Darion Jordan is a junior at MU, majoring in international business marketing and textile and apparel management. This past summer, he interned with NBC on the show Fashion Star under stylist Theodore Leaf. He is very involved at MU, contributing to Intern Queen, AIESEC Mizzou and the MU Career Center.
What are you involved in at MU?
I am currently the campus ambassador for Intern Queen, Inc., under Lauren Berger, who is the CEO. And basically what I do within that, is I am a branding coordinator and ambassador. I help get the word out about Intern Queen to students, and tell them what is available as far as opportunities. I am also a career specialist at the MU Career Center. I help students with their journey in career and major exploration.
I also function as an official member and organizing committee president of AIESEC Mizzou, which basically showcases and facilitates exchange. We help students from the university go abroad to 113 different countries.
What are your top three favorite aspects of college?
- I think meeting people is really important because I think this campus really provides a diverse range of individuals. I love meeting new people because it really helps me with just getting to know people in general.
- Definitely networking. That has been such a beneficial factor since I’ve been here. I literally talk to everyone and I open my mouth up. [When you do that,] you get what you want.
- Learning! A lot of people say you go to college for different things, but I truly came to college just to actually learn. Whether that’s in the classroom or that’s just from real-life experiences or scenarios, I just think it’s important to continue to learn and develop.
What are your two most rewarding experiences so far at MU?
- I currently serve on the internship 101 panel for the business school, which is a panel of students, directors, and professionals giving students a lot of information on how to become better students and get internship experiences. I’ve talked about my internship with NBC this summer and working with Fashion Star, and how that’s really helped me determine my direction and the emphasis area that I really want to go into. So I like to talk to students about my experiences also relating it back to my MU experience, because a lot of students don’t take advantage of a lot of opportunities. They get to their senior year and are like, “Oh, I haven’t done anything, and I just did my first internship and I don’t know what I really want to do.” And so I like being able to tell students about my story, but also giving them motivation to go out there and really just experiment, because this is the time when you should be doing it.
- I’m currently a member of AIESEC Mizzou, and I function as a member of a team called Outgoing Exchange, which helps students go abroad. Last year, we had about six to twelve students that we helped send abroad to our different countries to intern. That’s been a really good experience, because I was able to help contribute to someone elses success here at MU.
This past summer, Darion went to Los Angeles and interned with Anthony Cherry and Theodore Leaf, where he went to jewelry showrooms. Seeing the production of jewelry inspired Darion to start his own line of accessories, called Vex Accessories. His friends, who come from many different cultures, inspire Darion’s designs. He is putting the word out and is launching his line officially this fall.
Vex Accessories: http://pinterest.com/muziqvex/vex-accessories-by-muziq-vex/
AIESEC Mizzou: http://aiesecatmizzou.wordpress.com/about/
Intern Queen: http://www.internqueen.com/