P O R T F O L I O
my
Penn State
State College, PA
BA in Photojournalism
Double Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
and Global International Studies
May 2020
IES Abroad
Milan, Italy
Spring 2019
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Los Angeles, CA
MBA in Fashion
2021 Candidate
my bio.
Hi! My name is Elizabeth (Lizzie) Palma. I am 22 years old. I graduated from Penn State this past May 2020 after the best four years of my life.
My passions largely surround fashion and yoga, which is why much of my blog is centered around fashion trends and statements, as well as health and well-being.
Following my graduation from Penn State, I am now pursuing my MBA in Fashion at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, California.
However, due to the uncertain circumstances we are currently in, my program will be taking place - for now - online rather than in-person. So, for the meantime, I will be living at home in New Jersey.
The silver-lining to this all, though, is that I was able to complete my 200-hour yoga teacher training at my favorite yoga studio this summer. I am fortunate and grateful to be able to serve both of my passions simultaneously.
My current projects in life include teaching yoga, working at Urban Outfitters part-time and interning at No. 18 Boutique Summit as a digital marketing intern.
my education.
my experience.
No. 18 Boutique Summit LLC
Digital Marketing Intern
Summit, NJ
August 2020
May 2018 - Present
Mr. & Mrs. Italy
Assistant Fashion Buyer Intern
Milan, Italy
During my time studying abroad in Milan, I was fortunate to have been able to intern as an assistant fashion buyer at a luxury parka company. I am indebted to my supervisors, who have taught me plenty about the fashion industry - especially in the world of buying.
I had an extremely hands-on experience. My role as an intern included modifying and updating line and price-sheets, creating visual merchandise catalogs for all global store locations, analyzing and comparing current vs. previous seasons' sales and traffic reports and reviewing and summarizing all store locations' weekly sales and traffic reports.
The skill I have learned throughout my time at MMI - that I have come to value most - is the ability to trend forecast as it has given me the knowledge to understand past, current and future trends, which I believe is a strong foundation for my future endeavors in the fashion industry. I would often create Powerpoint presentations filled with research detailing possible upcoming season trends in different countries based largely on runway forecasts. I also attended the company's showroom, where I would participate in sorting through and selecting products for the upcoming season's line.
Spring 2019
Urban Outfitters
(Seasonal) Team Member
Edison, NJ
I have loved working at Urban Outfitters for the past two years. I have been given the experience beyond the simple tasks of a sales representative. Day-to-day, I enjoy engaging and interacting with customers in order to not only help increase the store's and company's overall UPT, but also in order to assist customers in styling options. Working at UO has broadened my knowledge in fashion because it has helped me to understand different customer wants and preferences.
In addition to on-the-floor jobs, I have also been tasked with back-of-house responsibilities, such as organizing shipment, as well as handling and packaging pack and ship orders.
VALLEY Magazine
Brand Ambassador
State College, PA
VALLEY is Penn State's only student-run life and style magazine. This past spring, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to represent VALLEY as a brand ambassador. I worked alongside many of VALLEY's talented staff of make-up artists, stylists, videographers and photographers to create images and videos not only for digital marketing on both mine and VALLEY's instagram, but also to be published in the editorial.
I took over VALLEY's instagram stories to bring the magazine's followers along with me throughout my day - talking topics of fashion and fitness. I also featured in an IGTV on VALLEY's instagram account demonstrating the practice of yoga.
Spring 2020
Photography samples
(Photo-story that follows a mother and her special-needs son as they operate the day-to-day responsibilities of their restaurant that was created to provide more opportunities in the world for people living with disabilities.)
PA NewsMedia Keystone Award Winner: Far Afield
(A collaborative project created by Penn State photojournalists to highlight the people behind the scenes of Penn State Football. I followed along with the work behind Nittanyville for this project.)
Videography samples
(A mini document I made of an active and involved Penn State student, who juggles the stress of a school-work-life balance while living with an autoimmune disease.)
my work.
my skills.
Writing | Photography | Videography | Trilingual | Microsoft Office Suite | Adobe Photoshop, Premiere. Audition | Styling | Blogging