Name:Karina Gerstenschlager
Year: 2012
Major: Art History, Minor-Psychology
Hometown: Los Altos, California
What are you involved with on campus?
I’m in a sorority and I’m on the New Media committee for A&O. I’m also a member of Form and Function Marketing. It goes by F&F for short. We help organizations on campus and in Evanston market themselves. We are also starting to help students market themselves by doing resume work.
Looking back on your four years, what is your favorite thing about Northwestern?
I think the variety of people that I’ve met here have been really incredible and have influenced my life a lot. Everyone here is so talented but in very unique ways. I’ve made some really amazing friends that I know will last a lifetime. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with some really incredible professors who are experts in their field. That has impacted me not just in the classroom but also in life.
What are your plans after graduation?
I’m going to do Abercrombie & Fitch’s Leadership Training Program in Merchandising. What that entails is basically product development– you work with a product category on a specific brand and you do everything that you can to make your product successful. I interned there last summer and had a fantastic experience so I knew that this was the career I wanted to pursue!
Were you always interested in pursuing a career in fashion?
No. When I actually first came to Northwestern I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian but with the variety of classes I could take in Weinberg I explored different things and found that I really loved art history. Fashion has always been something that I’ve loved but I never thought it could be a career. When I was studying abroad in Barcelona the summer after freshman year I realized how much I loved art and I figured that if I studied something I love, I’d find a career that I love.
How would you describe your sense of style?
I think part of me is always going to be influenced by California casual. I’ve definitely grown a lot and learned a lot about regional styles from the different places that I’ve lived during the past three and a half years. Europe made me try to do the tights and shorts thing for a while and I realized that I’m more about being comfortable than trying to impress other people.
What advice do you have for students preparing to get a job after graduating?
Don’t just do something because you think it’s going to be lucrative. Think about what you really value and enjoy doing and try and make that into a career instead of putting yourself into a mold. So many people think that it’s like doctor, lawyer, businessperson, but there’s so much more out there.
What will you miss most about Northwestern?
I’m definitely going to miss taking classes because I love learning and I’m a huge nerd. I could have graduated last quarter but I’m still here taking a full load. I’m definitely going to miss the relationships that I’ve established with the faculty and having all the amazing friends I’ve made here in one place.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northwestern chapter.