When Ally Berkowitz ’24 was a senior in high school, she was certain about her future career path. She envisioned herself as a doctor or a counselor — certainly a medical school graduate of some kind. Nothing else crossed her mind until she started college at Miami University.
Once Ally saw what her friends were studying in their business programs, she realized there were interesting degree paths that she had never considered before. All at once, there were multiple directions that excited her, and she wondered if it was possible to study more than just psychology.
The Career Center Gives Her Advice
Ally made a wise decision — she sought guidance from the Career Center. As it turned out, being inspired by multiple different fields provided a great opportunity. Since understanding how people think is a vital skill in any field, she could stick with her psychology degree and add minors to enhance it. That way, she could play to her existing strengths without having to start over in a different program. She would also gain the skills that she was newly interested in, even if they weren’t related to STEM.
And so, a uniquely Ally Berkowitz degree path was born: a major in Psychology with minors in Marketing and Fashion.
Finding Her Fashion and Design Passion
Ally holding up Miami University’s Fashion & Design’s Annual Fashion Show sign.
It soon became clear to Ally that she wanted to work in fashion and design, especially on the marketing side. She was able to get great practice at Miami, and not just in her classes. She joined the student organization Miami University Fashion & Design (MUF&D), which has almost 1,000 members, and worked her way up through the ranks: first as marketing assistant, then as marketing director, and finally as vice president. Through MUF&D, she helped organize one of the largest student-run fashion shows in the nation.
She also got to pursue a sales internship at Centric Brands in New York City, giving her even more experience in the business and fashion worlds. Through these opportunities, Ally was able to apply her skills in a real-world context, proving to herself that she was capable, she was driven, and most of all, that her passion was real.
Launching a Career
Now, Ally has big plans. A move to New York will happen in the near future, and she already has plenty of experience to earn her coveted career in fashion and design marketing. When she gets there, she’ll be uniquely qualified to understand how customers think. After all, she has a degree in psychology.
“It’s funny,” she says. “I came into college thinking I’m going to be a woman in STEM, and that’s not really for me anymore. But I’ve been able to shape my studies to what I’m actually interested in. That’s what matters.”
