From Freshman to Senior: Growing Through Retail Fuse
Today
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Reflecting on my Retail Fuse experience from freshman year to senior year, I’ve realized just how much I’ve grown alongside the program. As a freshman, I began exploring the retail industry and where I might fit within it. Over the years, the connections I made through Retail Fuse led to interviews and opportunities that helped turn those possibilities into something real. With each year, I’ve come to better understand the value of showing up, being curious, and taking the initiative to start a conversation.
One part of Retail Fuse that makes the experience especially meaningful is having industry professionals sit at the tables with us. Being able to ask questions, hear about their career journeys, and share our own interests makes entering the industry feel more approachable. I also appreciate how the programming has evolved to give us opportunities to invest in ourselves, both personally and professionally. Speakers like Kristen García-Hernandez, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, draw on their own experiences to inspire us as we begin our careers. Her message about stepping outside your comfort zone stayed with me because, as a senior, I’m learning that pursuing an opportunity doesn’t require having everything figured out.
During my junior year, speaking on the internship panel at Retail Fuse showed me how the event creates opportunities for students to learn from one another, alongside learning from industry professionals. Sharing my experience as a LoveShackFancy intern allowed me to contribute to the same conversations that had helped guide me as a freshman. Retail Fuse provided a space to reflect on what we had learned, exchange perspectives, and help other students imagine what their own internship experiences could look like. Moving from listening in the audience to speaking on a panel made me appreciate how Retail Fuse supports us at different stages of our college journeys and gives us opportunities to give back as we grow.
Retail Fuse also opened the door for me to create content for the Victoria’s Secret Undercover Wear Test experience in our Lundgren Consumer Lab. Having an opportunity like this available as a student meant I could explore my interests and contribute creatively while connecting with a brand in a new way. Capturing the energy and excitement surrounding the program showed me how valuable it is to be part of a community that creates these opportunities for us. It’s one thing to learn about the retail industry in class, and another to have opportunities within reach that allow us to get involved, gain experience, and discover where our interests might lead.
As I prepare to graduate, I appreciate Retail Fuse for both the opportunities it has opened and the confidence it has helped me build. The conversations, relationships, and experiences have become a meaningful part of my college journey. Looking back at where I started as a freshman, I’m grateful to be entering this next chapter with a clearer sense of my interests and greater confidence in what I can bring to the industry.