Deidra Arrington is a Virginia Commonwealth University professor. After a successful career as a retail clothing buyer she made the decision to go back to school….to teach. For the past 12 years she has been enriching fashion merchandising students’ lives in the Pollak building, teaching everything from Survey of the Fashion Industry to Retail Buying. She’s set a standard for teaching that not many professors live up to.
Job Title: Assistant Professor
How long have you taught? 12 years
Where did you go to school?
Undergrad: Jacksonville State University
MBA: VCU
What did you major in? Business Administration with a major in management and minor in marketing
What are some of your favorite places you’ve visited? Florence, Italy – Venice, Italy – Paris, France – London, England
What are some dreams of yours that you’ve accomplished? What are some that you still want to accomplish?
I always wanted to teach and now I’m very blessed to do so. I also wanted to travel, and I go as many places as I can. Now, I aspire to live a meaningful life and be the best person I can be. When you’re young, building a career and starting a family, it’s easy to get caught up in the details of everyday life. Now I’m firmly established I don’t need more stuff (although handbags are a weakness) and the worries and pressures I had when I was younger have faded away. I can think more outside my own circumstances. I want to be a fantastic wife, a super aunt, a great professor, a devoted friend and a protector of those (human & animal) who can’t protect themselves.
How would you describe your sense of style?
Classic, tailored with a modern twist.
What jobs did you have before you started teaching?
I was a retail clothing buyer for 20 years and prior to buying, I mostly worked in retail stores.
Why did you become a professor?
I became a professor because I always wanted to teach. After a long and rewarding buying career, I was ready to change my lifestyle. I started thinking about a way I could teach what I had learned during my career and came across the program at VCU. I wrote to Mrs. Videtic and the rest is history!
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
Students! Students are 100 percent the reason for me, watching the learning process, seeing the proverbial ‘light bulb moment,’ there’s nothing better. Students keep me young and teach me more than they know.
What do you do for fun?
Spend time with friends and family watching football games, having dinner out, hiking and traveling when I can.
If you could do it all again would you change any choices that you made in your life up to this point?
(I’m smiling at this question). In a word, no. There are plenty of regrettable and unfortunate decisions to choose from, but any change in any of those decisions and I’m not where I am right now and right now. I love where I am personally and professionally.
What would you most like to do in the future?
Live on a beach…my husband, however, not so much! :)