Maria Londono
Fashion Designer / Sr. Quality Assurance Coor.
Capital One
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
Decided I had to graduate high school early because I was pregnant.
Signed up for online and night classes as well as going to school during the day.
Graduated high school.
Started working various restaurant jobs under the table because I did not have proper documentation.
Applied to become a U.S. resident and began thinking about what I wanted to do in life.
Got my papers- signed up for community college arts foundation program and got a job at Capital One.
Applied & got accepted into VCU Fashion Design program, at the same time received a job promotion.
Balanced working and going to school full time until I finally graduated Spring 2016.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Meadowbrook High
Meadowbrook High
Career
Fashion Designer / Sr. Quality Assurance Coor.
I just graduated as a fashion designer and am still working at Capital One monitoring phone calls.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Fashion
Design
Being Creative
Day to Day
I review all my emails first thing in the morning, organize my work for the day, and begin monitoring customer phone calls to make sure the agents are following federal rules and doing the right thing for the consumer. After work, I go home and work on my personal fashion portfolio as I plan to move to New York soon to grow my career.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Start getting in touch with your creative side. Research not only fashion history but also art history and find what truly inspires you. Start working on illustration and explore different styles, keep going even when you feel you've found your own.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"Why do you want to be a designer? Are there even any jobs in that field? You're not going to make any money, you're going to be a struggling artist. What about your son?"
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
First-Generation Immigrant
