Meet our D&M Ambassadors

Isabelle Dunham is a sophomore in Design & Merchandising. She is passionate about digital marketing, sustainable design, and identifying innovative approaches to style. She loves the D&M program for its diverse range of teachers and mentors that work in the industry. During her time at Drexel thus far, she has interned for New York Bridal fashion week, Irina Sigal Dressmaker, Lehigh Valley Style magazine, and Barbara Kavchok Couture. Isabelle hopes to pursue a career working for a fashion magazine and in Bridal wear. She is happy to answer any questions about her experience at Drexel and talk about the many opportunities the D&M program has to offer.

Cate Brown is a junior Design & Merchandising major with a minor in Graphic Design. She loves learning about digital marketing, trend forecasting, and branding within the fashion and beauty industries. Cate is passionate about the D&M program and enjoys the collaboration and discussions in the classrooms, and the broad curriculum that the program provides. In the future, Cate hopes to pursue a career studying and forecasting trends for retail brands as a buyer. She is happy to answer any questions about her experience with the D&M program, and Drexel!

Bella Saponaro is a junior Design & Merchandising major. She was drawn to, and now loves, the D&M program for its wide exposure to so many aspects of the fashion industry. Since being at Drexel she has participated in an internship with a Philly based menswear company, Commonwealth Proper, which has since turned into a part-time job as their Assistant Director of Operations. This fall term Bella is participating in one of Drexel’s study abroad programs offered to D&M students at Accademia Italiana in Florence, Italy. In the future, Bella hopes to pursue a career as a Creative Director of a fashion magazine. She is happy to answer any questions regarding her experience at Drexel and what the D&M program has to offer!

Sophia Rhodes is a senior Design & Merchandising major and a part of the Pennoni Honors Program. She is passionate about merchandise buying and planning within the retail industry. Sophia is grateful to have been a part of the Design and Merchandising program the last few years as it has allowed her to explore all different facets of the retail industry from public relations and marketing to buying and branding. During her time at Drexel thus far, she has interned with Philly Fashion Week, Philly PR Girl, and QVC, as well as completed a co-op with The TJX Companies and is a current mentee in the program. In the future, Sophia hopes to pursue a career in fashion merchandising. She is happy to chat with you about her experiences within the Design and Merchandising program and how it has helped prepare her to take on future roles in the industry!

Naomi Barrales is a senior Design & Merchandising major with a minor in Marketing. She gravitated towards Design and Merchandising for its multidisciplinary study of the fashion industry, allowing her to learn both business and design aspects of fashion. Catering her education around brand storytelling and marketing, Naomi has worked as a Marketing and Operations Intern with RAISEfashion, a nonprofit providing pro-bono advising for Black-owned brands, and pursued her Retail and Integrated Marketing co-op with global brands Theory and Helmut Lang. She is happy to answer any questions about her experience at Drexel and the opportunities the Design and Merchandising program has to offer.

Krysta Mendoza is a sophomore Design & Merchandising major with a passion for branding, product, and entrepreneurship within the fashion industry. As a student, Krysta has found a great appreciation for the program as it is pre-professional and forward facing. Through the program, Krysta hopes to obtain the skill set that will allow her to be successful in today's everchanging industry. She is happy to answer any questions about her experiences thus far as well as any other questions related to Drexel and the D&M program!

Jacob Wise is a sophomore in Design & Merchandising. He loves that the program gives students the opportunity to explore their interest with the diverse topics of study. In his first year he developed an interest in styling, brand development, and social media strategy. He also helped plan the rebrand of the D&M magazine, now known as MAVEN. Jacob is excited for his next few years in the program and being able to explore his interest more. He is happy to answer any questions about his experience at Drexel and talk about the Design and Merchandising program.

Nicole Fusco is a senior in Design & Merchandising. She has always loved fashion and getting the opportunity to express herself through clothing. Nicole is looking to enter the creative fields of styling or visual merchandising after graduation. This past summer she had the opportunity to study abroad at London College of Fashion for Fashion Business. The experience was once in a lifetime, and Nicole was privileged enough to take a styling course under the teaching of industry professional Joseph Toronka. Nicole’s love for the creative fields mainly developed through her Junior Year CO-OP as Marketing Intern at LAGOS, a fine jewelry company. She was able to work with the marketing team on creating assets, as well as assist the Visual Manager with developing and executing concepts for LAGOS store windows. When Nicole is not in class, you can find her getting coffee at The Board and Brew or running down the Schuylkill River Trail.

Angela Crivelli is a senior Design & Merchandising major and she is passionate about working in fashion and plan on advancing her career in the Public Relations sector of the industry. This past summer Angela was fortunate enough to study at the London College of Fashion where she was able to apply her learning at Drexel to a global scale and understand more thoroughly how the fashion industry connects to deeper political, economic, social, and technological issues. While at LCF, Angela also had the opportunity to conceptualize, coordinate, and style an editorial photoshoot, working under the tutelage of celebrity stylist Joseph Toronka. In her junior year, Angela completed her co-op as a Public Relations intern at Linda Gaunt Communications in New York City, working for clients such as Eileen Fisher, Todd Snyder, and Billy Reid. In addition, Angela has worked in retail for seven years. In her free time, she loves vintage shopping, spending time with friends and family, and most of all, reading.