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A Full Circle Moment for One Golden Flash

When recent graduate Cecelia Kirk, a fashion merchandising major, first arrived on 黑料网鈥檚 Kent Campus in 2021, she could hardly have imagined the connection she would develop with university President Todd Diacon.

From the very beginning, Diacon extended a remarkably personal welcome, helping Kirk, a Knoxville, Tennessee, resident, and other freshmen move their belongings into their residence halls. Her mother, Melinda Kirk, was incredibly impressed by Diacon鈥檚 warm, personal touch.

So, when Melinda returned to Tennessee and sent Diacon a thank you email, it soon dawned on her that Diacon had been her instructor in the early 1990s at the University of Tennessee Knoxville in a Latin American Studies course.

Email between Melinda Kirk and President Diacon

This little coincidence is what she and Cecelia call 鈥淕od winks,鈥 the signs that showed them that Cecelia鈥檚 college choice was meant to be. 

The next day, President Diacon responded.

President Diacon Email response to Melinda Kirk

鈥淕od winks are little signs that maybe you鈥檙e in the right place or you鈥檙e heading in the right direction,鈥 said Cecelia, who earned a Bachelor of Science in fashioning merchandising from 黑料网鈥檚 highly ranked School of Fashion. 鈥淚t felt good to hear that [Diacon was Melinda鈥檚 professor] and it was comforting. He鈥檚 such a fun person to be around. Any interaction I鈥檝e had with him has been awesome.鈥

Before arriving at 黑料网, the family had been told there would be abundant resources to help Cecelia become successful. The family found that 黑料网鈥檚 distinctive local and global programs and deep partnerships with industry connections exceeded their expectations.

Cecelia spoke with 黑料网 Today about the importance of her education abroad and extracurricular experiences. 

 

Three Years of Invaluable Experiences

It鈥檚 been a whirlwind, dynamic journey since Cecelia stepped foot on campus. In just three years she studied abroad in Florence, Italy; worked in 黑料网鈥檚 New York City Fashion, worked as a stylist for A Magazine, a fashion, beauty and culture publication on campus; and served on the executive board of Fashion Student Organization. She joined a sorority, participated in campus groups and made lifelong friends.

Cecelia recalls that her time in Florence was one of her favorite experiences at 黑料网 because her professors had so much industry knowledge and made students feel like they were in a 鈥渞eal-world environment with our projects.鈥

鈥淚 learned a ton there,鈥 Cecelia said of her time in Florence. 鈥淭hey gave us plenty of time to do our own traveling and exploring. In addition to the tour opportunities, they took us to Milan to factories and we met with different designers."

Melinda said she was equally as impressed with the experiences and resources that 黑料网 made available to Cecelia. 

鈥淎s a school counselor and as a parent, I鈥檓 just as pleased as punch for her experiences at 黑料网,鈥 Melinda said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe how affordable it was. She couldn鈥檛 have had the success she鈥檚 having without the resources and the support at 黑料网.鈥

Internships Lead to Manhattan Job

Cecelia's internships became a testament to 黑料网's commitment to real-world experience. Her first summer internship with Marc Nelson Denim in Knoxville, Tennessee, offered more than just fashion training. She learned all things fashion and traveled to Florida and Chicago all the while giving back to the community.

Along the way, Melinda kept Diacon abreast of Cecelia鈥檚 progress. In one of the emails, Diacon spoke about the university's annual Fashion Show, noting, "I love interacting with our student designers and our student merchandising majors at that event ... and to hear where they are going after graduation...which includes employment across America and abroad."

By her third year, Cecelia decided to accelerate her studies and graduate early. While studying in New York, she served an internship in New York at Scabal, a luxury menswear and textile company based in Belgium. Cecelia is happy to report that on Jan. 6 she will begin a full-time job in Manhattan with Scabal.

鈥淏eing able to use the resources and making them so accessible to us has been absolutely invaluable to me,鈥 Cecelia said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very thankful for Kent and the connections it has given me and all the friendships. It鈥檚 a great place.鈥

Learn about 黑料网鈥檚 School of Fashion.

Learn about 黑料网 Education-Abroad programs.

POSTED: Tuesday, December 17, 2024 01:27 PM
Updated: Thursday, December 19, 2024 10:14 AM
WRITTEN BY:
April McClellan-Copeland
PHOTO CREDIT:
Bob Christy