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Wilanda, The First
By Ada Onuegbe
The United States, affectionately nicknamed the “land of opportunity”, has long held a reputation for generating stories of success despite obstacles. Some routes to success are very straightforward while others are considerably more meandering. Like many journeys, the one that Wilanda Nicolas began was intended to be bit more direct. She decided to take the opportunity to enjoy the scenic route.
She began on her journey by changing majors a few times during college in an effort to find a fit for her creative mind. The choice was made more difficult by being a first-generation American. “There’s a lot of things that me going to college, I didn’t know. I had to kind of figure out everything on my own…I went from Nursing to Teaching and I finally ended up in Psychology when I graduated,” she said. Wilanda had never been exposed to the idea of a career in a creative field of study. Although she eventually found a major she loved, she still felt the need to explore her passion for fashion design more deeply.
However, in doing so, she did not want to worry her parents, Haitian immigrants who were wary of the long-term value of her creative interests. “They get here and they don’t want to see their children struggling…Get a job that’s going to get you money, point, blank, period,” Wilanda said of her parents’ concerns for her security in a new country. She felt she might have to choose between following her dream and a secure future.
Wilanda found the Fashion Education Seminars at United Colors of Fashion (UCOF) through a cousin, who also had an interest in fashion and wanted a partner in the program. Wilanda was initially resisted because she worried that her limited education in fashion would be challenging to overcome. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the courses were constructed with individual student progression in mind. Wilanda was able to learn hands-on in interactive sessions, group projects and even an internship. “I was coming home every Saturday with a story to tell my mom. That’s something I never really do for anything else.” She realized she hadn’t been so excited to learn since discovering Psychology in college.
As time progressed and her dedication to the program became more apparent, her mother became her biggest supporter. “She actually wished I would pursue it more and work harder on my craft!” Wilanda’s mother gifted her with a sewing machine while she was still in high school, not knowing that her daughter had such a desire to pursue what had once been considered a hobby. “Now that my mom sees that I’m really into fashion, she really hopes that I pursue it more and actually have a great career in it.”
Wilanda’s greatest takeaway from the Fashion Education Seminars was the development of business communication skills. “I’m very shy, so even when I was doing job interviews, I didn’t know how to say directly how I felt about something and I would kind of shy away, or I didn’t seem like I was very interested.” She found herself in roles of leadership during group projects and shadowed mentors during business meetings. Those experiences in assertiveness helped her land a new job as an Active Assistant Director.
Wilanda is currently earning a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology while pursuing fashion. She hopes to be like fashion stylist and designer Rachel Zoe, who also majored in psychology during college.
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