If You Don't Ask for It, The Answer will Always be "No"

When I was a junior and a senior in high school, I was a member of Nordstrom's BP. Fashion Board.  BP. Fashion Board is almost like a mini-internship program where you learn about merchandising, marketing, products, and organizational structure at Nordstrom.  It was a great program to be a part of but my only complaint is that since people move up so fast at Nordstrom, our Board went through a lot of different leaders and it became hard to follow along.

Through this program, however, I was introduced to Lisa Mayer, founder and CEO of My Social Canvas.  My Social Canvas is a lifestyle and apparel design company that empowers student designers through design contests and sells those designs to support an organization or cause that they have partnered with.  It just so happened that the day they visited, I had to present a store concept that I had come up with and mine exclusively sold brands that gave back in some way.  After hearing about MSC's mission and presenting my store, I went up to them and said (in true high schooler fashion) "So…do you like have any internship opportunities open for this summer?"  And that's when one of the representatives told me, "I love that you just asked that.  If you don't ask for it, the answer will always be 'no.'"  And so I got involved.

Me and Paull Young of Charity: Water

A few weeks after meeting Lisa, she invited me to hear the then-director-of-digital at Charity: Water speak in NYC.  Lisa knew that I was passionate about social entrepreneurship and has always kept that in mind, inviting me to events she thinks I would like.

I became an MSC Campus Rep (and you should too!), and quickly learned about the small startup that MSC is.  Because My Social Canvas is quite small at the moment (but definitely growing), I have been able to really become an integral part of company.  And it all started because I decided to go out on a limb and ask about an internship.

We had a campus rep day in NYC where we visited Warby Parker got a lovely tour, as well as visited Seventeen Magazine!  I sat on the couch that celebrities are always pictured on!

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Warby Parker was such an amazing experience to have considering I hadn't heard of them before that day.  They have a similar model to TOMS shoes in that if you buy one they give one, but they do it in a bit more of a sustainable fashion.  Warby Parker Glasses are given to trained entrepreneurs in developing nations where they can sell the product to financially empower themselves.  Their product is high quality and priced reasonably, and their customer service is top notch!  I love my Warby frames that I purchased after my visit!

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Being a part of MSC has even allowed me to have my design be sold online.  I designed tote bags for the She's the First Summit in August, 2014, and a long sleeve shirt for the Design for Her collection. The Design for Her collection benefited WomenOne, an organization started by Dayle Haddon to help send girls to school in developing nations.

That's my favorite thing about My Social Canvas: the products give back!  I am so passionate about going into the fashion industry to improve the fashion industry, and MSC gets that.  I have attended so many amazing events and met so many people who have been so helpful in my career aspirations that I really can't imagine where I would be right not if I had not asked to get involved.

Just ask, the worst they can say is "no" and that's the answer you're getting if you don't ask at all.

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