Pia is a Social Media Influencer for several fashion brands, looking to expand and create her own brand.
Roadmap.
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"Regardless of the career you choose to pursue, internships provide incredible insight and knowledge in what to expect when you enter the workforce. I’d highly recommend interning for a startup, as the amount of hands-on experience you’ll get is unmatched to that of a corporate giant."
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Pictured here is a product endorsement for Briogeo Hair Care, where I endorse their hair masks!
MILESTONES
My career roadmap has been all over the place.
I spent my first two years of high school at West Ranch. I made the decision to transfer to AOC, as I was particularly interested in the opportunities of independent learning & academic rigor.
From a young age, I’ve always been an introvert with a significant interest in numbers. Hence why pursuing something along the lines of accounting or wealth management seemed appealing.
At AOC, I had considered becoming a financial analyst or advisor specializing in wealth planning and investments. I took these considerations forward at Liberty by majoring in Business Finance & joining the Financial Management Association.
In my junior year, the blogging industry for fashion and beauty really began to take off. Now, it’s a considerably saturated field. However, upon its inception, there were really only a few ‘big’ names. I applied for an internship to work for Marianna Hewitt, but I didn’t get it, as the position was in LA and I was in VA at the time. I mention this moment as it was the impetus that began my career now.
I graduated a year early from Liberty and when I returned to LA, I was offered an accountant position for a non-profit startup where I pursued my CPA. Simultaneously, I interned for an experiential marketing agency that specializes in Influencer + Blogger activations. The collision of both worlds was really an ‘aha’ moment for the direction I wanted my career to go.
In the Fall of 2018, I left both my steady paying job and my internship to essentially start my own business + grow my platform in content creation.
While my platforms have grown considerably & I’ve been fortunate enough to work on campaigns with Maybelline, Revolve, and brands alike; my interest in using this platform as a vehicle to further both my philanthropic and entrepreneurial passions is truly what I am focusing on.
Currently, I am working on a new business venture and I have hopes of officially launching in 2021!
EXPERIENCE
Here are my extracurriculars relevant to this pathway
DURING MY HIGH SCHOOL CAREER
LOTS of lunch time meetings with Ms. Cubbage to get my ed plan in order (and keep me sane).
FBLA (Future Business Leaders Association)
Gamma Beta Phi Honors Society
DURING MY COLLEGE CAREER
Financial Management Association
Capstone Senior Project that focused on Investments & the Financial System
Internship for Bloggers Who Brunch, where I focused on outreach and event activations for Fashion & Beauty professionals.
CAREER
What I'm currently doing/hope to do
I’m a content creator for Fashion and Beauty brands across various social platforms with an emphasis on Instagram marketing. As an ‘Influencer’, I produce, creatively direct, and shoot all of my content. My job is also centered on a lot of behind-the-scenes that many don’t typically know about (i.e., drafting contracts, legal, invoicing + accounting, brand outreach, editing, and inbound deals). As for a life-long career, this was always meant as a segway to something bigger. Social media may come and go, and the idea of my income being dependent solely on brands has never been settling. I want something of my own & as of right now, I’m working diligently to get there!
ADVICE
How to maximize my time in high school?
Advice #1: Do things to benefit your future self. Goal setting is vital and the short-term goals are just as important as the long-term.
Advice #2: Work ethic is important and you’re never too young to start. Be on time, be respectful, and remember that no job is too small.
Advice #3: Although I’m working in a separate field now, getting my degree and my college experience, in and of itself, is something I’ll always be grateful for. College is hard, but keep pushing through- I promise it’s worth it!
Advice #4: Regardless of the career you choose to pursue, internships provide incredible insight and knowledge in what to expect when you enter the workforce. I’d highly recommend interning for a startup, as the amount of hands-on experience you’ll get is unmatched to that of a corporate giant.
Advice #5: You don’t need a degree in fashion or marketing to do content creation. 9 times out of 10, your success in this field is dependent on your consistency and ability to network.
