My Life in Sydney

I have been living and working in Sydney for six weeks now, with just under two weeks left at my internship and then another week of travel before returning to the US. The study abroad program I am participating in here is really interesting because I am not only taking classes, but also interning at the apparel design company Romance Was Born. The main class I am taking here, Intercultural Communication has been really interesting and has helped me with my internship more than I expected. So far in class we have discussed linguistics, the history of the Australian dialect and concepts relating to the study of culture. We even had a theater dialect coach come in one day to teach us how to correctly fake an Aussie accent!

At my internship I have been working right alongside the designers. I have been getting patterns ready for production as well as working with sample-making and some in house production. Despite the success of RWB, they still operate out of a one room studio, meaning that I have learned about all aspects of running an apparel design company. No doubt I will continue to learn new things even up through my last day here.

And even with all of the work and study, I have also had time to enjoy the city. There are beaches everywhere, markets on Saturdays and plenty of free music shows. Sydney offers all the perks of a big city, with the friendly feeling and ease of getting around that you would expect in a town like West Lafayette. Speaking of the Laf… as much as I love Sydney, I can’t wait to start another year at Purdue!

-Alysha

Summer Internship

This summer I have the opportunity to work at the National Institute of Fitness and Sport (NIFS) in downtown Indianapolis. I am in the Educational Services (CES) department working with two dietitians who give presentations and counsel clients all over the state and country. I am in my 3rd week of work and I am really enjoying being in this type of facility. NIFS is a gym that has its main building by the White River downtown and then has corporate sites at different businesses and factories around Indianapolis and the state and country. As a CES intern I help get presentations put together and copy packets that are handed out to people who attend. I attend presentations and meetings that are lead by the two dietitians on staff. I have helped to teach a cooking demonstration to a weight loss class and working on another presentation to the fitness center employees and an article for the wellness magazine published by NIFS. It has been fun to experience a non-traditional side of dietetics. I think that I am interested more in the fitness and wellness aspect of dietetics then the more traditional routes of clinical or foodservice dietetics. I enjoy the freedom and variety of scheduling that a facility like NIFS offers to its employees. I am living in Columbus, IN and then driving up to Indianapolis each day which is an adventure. It is about a 50 minute drive, but it gives me time to think and listen to music. I am working with another intern who is from Western Illinois University and there are 8 other interns within NIFS this summer. Everyone is spread out in a variety of departments including; corporate sites around Indy, senior living, the fitness center and group fitness. It is a great program and if you are interested in wellness and exercise it is a great place to intern and hopefully this summer job will open doors for me in the future. You can learn more about NIFS on their website http://www.nifs.org/.

--Anna

--Anna

Design Internship!

This entire semester I have been working on applying to a study abroad internship program for summer 2010 in Sydney, Australia. As of Monday (April 12, 2010) I officially have my internship placement and I couldn’t be more excited.

I will be working with Australian couturiers ‘Romance Was Born’ for about two months this summer. Their work is epic and I feel so honored that I am getting the opportunity to add my skill sets to their company. I never would have believed that I would get such a fantastic opportunity for my first design position, and I am honestly not so sure I even believe it now. All of the design students at Purdue are so tallented that it's hard to realize how impressive your portfolio actually is. Because it is such a small company, they warned me that it will be “all hands on deck” and that this is not an internship where I will be going to get coffee. I have never been so excited and ready to hit the ground running. Can this semester please be over now? I want to go to Sydney!  --Alysha

Apparel Design and Technology

[NOTE:  The Editor of this blog would like to apologize to the author of this entry for being a bonehead and not publishing it in a timely manner.  I regret that it got lost in the chaos that is my inbox and hope that its tardiness will not diminish the impact of it and its follow-up blog entry.  --SCR]

On Saturday, April 10 the Apparel Design and Technology major held the 11th annual Purdue Fashion Show. In attendance were industry representatives as well as notable Purdue faculty. The show featured work from over 80 designers, including 22 senior collections. This year’s show featured a deconstructed themed venue. Both the setup and garments were extremely well received and both the afternoon and evening show sold out prior to the show, so if you want to go next year make sure to get your tickets early! As a designer, there is nothing quite as exciting as getting to see the fruits of your labor admired in such a splendid setting. And special thanks to all of the models who did a fantastic job making our designs come to life. Considering what a fantastic show we had this year, one wonders how we can possibly improve on it next year. But the answer is simple; next year I will display my senior collection!  --Alysha

SAO Awards Dinner

I had the opportunity to receive a scholarship at the Student Awards Organization Dinner a few weeks ago. I was so excited when I got the email saying that I had been awarded a scholarship and that the formal presentation would be at this dinner. Throughout my time in high school and college I have been applying for scholarships to help pay for school. Thankfully each year I have had the opportunity to receive at least one scholarship to fund my education. I have learned that no matter the size of the scholarship, large or small, every dollar counts! I would encourage everyone who reads this to take the time to apply for scholarships if you are a student. There are so many people and organizations willing to help and support you if you take the time to fill out the application. Thankfully along the way I have had numerous mentors, advisors and past employers write recommendation letters for me. I could not have received all the scholarships that I have without their willingness to help and support me. So thank you to each person, advisor, professor and family member who has assisted me in applying for scholarships and jobs. I am excited for this next year as a dietetic intern in the Coordinated Program here at Purdue. I will continue to work hard and put that scholarship money to good use.

~ Anna

Annual Black Tie Dinner

On Saturday, March 27, the HTM Society hosted the 12th annual Black Tie Dinner in the Purdue Memorial Union. The dinner is a fundraiser put on by the club every year to raise money for students to attend the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago as well as the International Hotel and Motel Show in New York. 162 parents, alumni, and recruiters attended the event and enjoyed a five star dinner. This year’s guest speaker was Gale Gand and she spoke at the dinner as well as hosted a book signing about 3 hours before the dinner started. The dinner is run 100% by students, everything from planning, serving, cooking, decorating, and tear down. Below are a few pictures from the weekend’s festivities.

On Friday, March 26, all of the HTM Organizations came together and hosted a Souper Hero Run outside of Stone Hall. The run took place at approximately 6:00pm and 45 people ran the race. We raised $185 with all the proceeds going to Lafayette Urban Mission Soup Kitchen in Lafayette. The runners dressed up as Super Hero’s and were able to enjoy a bowl of soup at the end of the race that was provided by Red Lobster! Here are some pictures of the event!   --Josh