What did you do all summer?!?

Meghan Herman

"This summer I went back home to my native land Houston, TX. I loved being back home even though it was extremely hot. We set a record of triple digits degrees for 30 days straight! At the beginning of the summer I went to Canyon Lake with my family it is located exactly between Austin and San Antonio it was so gorgeous and peaceful! I also took a long weekend trip up to Milwaukee to attend Summerfest which I heard so much about. I got to reuinte with some of my Madison friends and see Jason Aldean, a very cute cowboy, live in Concert. Love him! Other than that I worked all summer at Charming Charlie's, I got to learn a lot about fashion merchandizing, styling, and customer service. It was a great opportunity to work with accessories which I of course am in love with! It was a very relaxing summer and I enjoyed every minute of it, but I missed Madison and ready to get back into the swing of things especially with TAD! :)"

Krisa Kuffel

"This summer I mostly worked everyday. On the few days I had off I usually went up north Wisconsin to do some boating and bonfires. I also managed to meet up with a few friends from home and just relax and hang out. 

As far as fashion goes, I sewed a couple of new purses this summer for family friends and did a lot of sewing repairs for others. Overall it was a successful and fun summer!"

Rachael Martin

"This summer I had planned to lay back, relax, and enjoy the sun. One bulk email, two dozen pattern pieces, and three phone calls later though I found myself interning in women's accessories design for Lands' End! Thankfully I was able to find a woman who works there and she had an open room for the summer. So for the next 12 weeks I was trained in Adobe Illustrator and IPLM by day, and taught the ins and outs of Greek cuisine by night. It was an amazing experience!"

Nicole Moyer

"I spent 5 weeks of my summer studying abroad in Florence, Italy (yes, I was there the same time Jersey Shore was and DID see them!)...It was an amazing experience full of adventures, travels, fashion, and my studies. 

I traveled to Rome, Venice, Milan (fashion Capitol!), Cinque Terre, Pisa, and a few other places while I was there. My absolute favorite? Wine tasting in Chianti! I took an On-Site painting class while there where we moved to different locations around Florence and painted for 4 hours! I wasn't complaining... :) I absolutely recommend studying abroad...let me know if you have any other questions about it!"

Eden Morrison

"This past summer was so busy and it just flew by so fast! I started my summer by getting a job at Gap in Johnson Creek. I worked there part time doing anything and everything I could to learn as much about the retail side of the fashion business from the ground up. I absolutely love my job there and all the people who I work with. It was such a positive and fun experience! When I wasn't working at Gap, I had also signed up to be the JV dance team coach for my former high school. I did not expect how much work that would take! Again however it was another great experience and a wonderful way to spend my time at home. It also led to the opportunity for me to design and start constructing a dance costume for the varsity team at the school. It was a very fun and challenging project. I wish I had a picture of the final dress, but as of now I only have one of the sketch. In the small amount of free time I had around coaching and working, I spent time catching up with my family and friends. I had a fantastic summer but I am so excited to get back into all of the exciting things for this school year!"

Jordan Bautista

“I spent almost my entire summer in the Philippines for a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship, called the Advanced Filipino Abroad Program or AFAP for short. I attended the Ateneo De Manila University for an 8-week program to learn the language Tagalog. It also involved cultural immersion with local families, non-government organizations, different provinces and more. I spent three weeks with a wonderful foster family and I miss them dearly since I got back to Madison.    

All of us 12 AFAP participants also engaged in interviews, debates, research and presentation. For our last presentation, I did mine about the mothers of Payatas in Quezon City--Payatas is one of the biggest dumpsites in the country. The mothers were given livelihood opportunities such as making bags instead of collecting garbage for some cash so they could feed their families. My focus was more about the eco-ethical fashion these mothers are creating, instead of romanticizing the poverty behind their wonderful creations. I had a wonderful experience!”