Celebrating Two Years of Life & Work in Chicago!

Today marks my 2-year anniversary since living and working in Chicago! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Chicago so far, and when I look back on the journey to get here, I often get goosebumps. Two years ago––March 2020––I shared a LinkedIn article detailing my decision to leave my job in Ohio, take a leap of faith and move to NYC to pursue marketing/communication roles in the fashion industry. At the time I submitted my two-week notice, I was in the interview process with PVH, Ralph Lauren, NBCUniversal, and others. I felt confident that I'd get one of the job offers as I planned to move to NYC in April 2020. After 5 years of trying, I thought that I was finally finding my entry point into the industry. Needless to say, the plan was unexpectedly shattered within 1–2 weeks due to the pandemic. Suddenly, I was jobless along with millions of other Americans.

Summer 2020 came and while still jobless, I found myself beginning to pick up more interviews including Amazon Fashion, TikTok, The Washington Post, Solid & Striped, L'Oreal, Coach, and more, but ultimately wasn't selected for a role. After about 6 or 7 months, I became aware of a marketing role at LinkedIn. I applied, got an offer, and moved to Chicago a month later on October 31, 2020.

While at LinkedIn, I still knew I ultimately wanted to work in fashion and was thinking of creative ways in which I could position myself for an eventual pivot. In December 2020, I decided to leverage being an employee working at the platform and combine that "insider" experience with my skillset of writing, social media, and branding to create my own business, FAME Focus. I'd partner with FAME (Fashion, Arts, Media, and Entertainment) professionals and companies to help cultivate and strengthen their brand and online presence/identity, specifically on LinkedIn. Through an incredibly supportive network, FAME Focus has partnered with Kendra Scott, G-III Apparel Group, and Neiman Marcus Group, enabling me to finally find my entry point in the industry that took me 6/7 years to get into. Eventually, I joined Neiman Marcus Group full-time as a Manager, Corporate Communications.

As I look back over the last 2 years, I am amazed at how divinely the puzzle pieces of my life have fallen into place. When I left my job in March 2020, I had a plan in place. But every single thing that has happened since March 2020 was not part of the plan. So, looking in hindsight today, I am reminded of the power to walk by faith and not by sight because every step of the way, my steps were being ordered even if at the time I didn't know it. I now realize that every single thing that happened needed to happen to get me to where I am today:

• If I didn't put in my two-week notice when I did, I would've never left my job due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.
• If I would've never left my job, I wouldn't have networked with the rigor that I did, and wouldn't have gained some of the opportunities that came my way.
• If I wouldn't have networked in the way that I did, I wouldn't have gotten a role at LinkedIn and wouldn't have moved to Chicago.
• If I didn't accept the role with LinkedIn and didn't move to Chicago, I wouldn't have created my own business, FAME Focus, which was born out of the inspiration of working for the platform.
• If I didn't create FAME Focus, I wouldn't have gotten my entry point in the fashion industry in the way that I did. And, I wouldn't have joined Neiman Marcus Group full-time, which was a transition from being a contractor through my business.

I am grateful for my path to where I am right now and am excited for what the next year holds! Cheers to 2 years in Chicago!