Hobbies & Interests

Fashion has been a hobby & interest for me from the beginning. As a child I loved nothing more than a pair of scissors and paper to cut up. I eventually got into felt material and “pom pom” balls where I’ve made clothes for my cat. As I became a teenager my apparel become very important to me.  Towards my last year in high school I began to realize that fashion design was very competitive and may not be a realistic major for me. It just was not broad enough and would not give me the business knowledge I would acquire with a degree in marketing. To keep costs at a minimum, out of high school I started in community college’s dual admissions transfer program of business Administration to Temple Fox School of business.  During my studies I haven’t drifted too far from fashion. In my spare time I’ve spent way too much time searching retail stores, thrift stores, and fabric stores. I look for key pieces that I can wear myself or recreate with my industrial sewing machine that I’ve taught myself to use.  I’ve show cased my pieces in a couple small fashions shows in Philadelphia.  I have created a blog called Urban Fashion Weeds, which I use as a creative outlet to post my styles and pieces of art. My blog as well showcases my Etsy Store, which I sold a few items.

In my first English class of college I was required to read a book called the “Omnivore’s dilemma”, which I highly recommend reading. It is a great explanation of the American Food Industry. It has lead me to do my own research that has given me a very open mind of food and health in the world around me. I’ve come to realize that what you eat is very important. Foods in the supermarket have strayed very far from its source, with multimillion dollar companies concentrating on a larger profit and silencing the detrimental health effects of their products. However since I do come from a city growing my own food is very limited to the cement back yard behind my house. The past couple summers I’ve taken up all the space in my mom’s back yard with container and box gardens. Last summer I was more than grateful to become a member in the Summer/Winter community garden on Drexel’s Campus, where I spent a great deal of time. I also learned where every farmers market is set up every day of the week throughout the city to find fresh and locally grown food. Above are pictures I’ve taken of what I created at the community garden. One of my favorite places to visit is Greensgrow Farms in the Port Richmond area. I love the idea of living in a city while incorporating the importance of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle with a growing market for urban gardens and local foods.