Santa Clara Students Connect with Retail Leaders, Alumni in NYC
Honoring Former Student Jill Curran
Marlowe Camblin
Among the most special aspects of Santa Clara University are the long-standing traditions and relationships forged within the tight-knit student and alumni community. The Retail Management Institute (RMI) and Student Association, like many SCU on-campus organizations and academic programs, offer opportunities for passionate students to find their niches on campus. Through scholarships, exclusive course offerings and seminars, corporate tours, and guest speakers, students with the Retail Studies minor grow into conscious business people and strategic leaders.
Since 2004, Retail Studies students have been able to apply for the Jill Curran Scholarship, among other grants. The Jill Curran Scholarship culminates in selected students having the privilege of attending the National Retail Federation (NRF)'s Retail's Big Show in New York City in early January. It is a true honor to receive the scholarship, started by the late Jill Curran’s family: parents John and Judy Curran, and her older sisters, Jodie (SCU ‘00) and Jennifer. Jill passed away in the fall of 2002 while studying fashion retailing, marketing and organizational behavior during a study abroad program at Syracuse University in London. Jill was known for her infectious, “Jilly Bean” smile and friendliness to everyone. Her scholarship fund in London, “London Walks,” guides new students on visits to under-the-radar points of interest and special destinations throughout the city, honoring Jill’s spirit of exploration. Everyone in Jill’s class knew her. When the Class of 2004 graduated, Jill’s family was presented with an honorary degree for her, as an assurance that her spirit would always be kept alive at SCU, according to Fr. Locatelli.
Indeed, Jill’s spirit is still alive and well here at SCU! Having recently returned from NYC as a Jill Curran scholar, I feel a different kind of appreciation for this opportunity. The sense of connection to Jill and her impact on the SCU community and previous scholarship recipients is significant, as is the gratitude to her family and RMI for fostering such experiences each year. At Santa Clara, experiences such as this are common among students, yet unique to each person. To have visited a city like New York (one Jill adored) and learned from fellow students and expert company leaders, while honoring another student who had the same passions as I do today, means a great deal.
These five students also received the Jill Curran Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic year: Emily Machado ‘19, Mary O’Neill ‘19, Bridget Reynolds ‘20, Sara Solomon ‘19, and Francesca Tiballi ‘19. Each of us has our own unique takeaways and feelings about the weekend–meaning that the impact of the Jill Curran scholarship only multiples. O’Neill said that she made “powerful connections” in just three days. We all greatly enjoyed the NRF conference, which hosts a Student Program and Retailer Expo over the course of the week.
Four students–Taylor Fetter ‘19, Joycelyn George ‘21, Olivia Mannion ‘21, and Lauren Tauriac ‘19–also received external scholarships to attend the BIG Show and Student Program. Fetter was named a winning scholar for the 2019 YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) Case Study Competition for her idea for a Rent the Runway Milan pop-up. She received an expenses-paid trip and scholarship! She also attended the FSF Awards Gala in NYC with students from across the country. George received the NRF Rising Star Scholarship and Mannion was a semifinalist (a Top 25 applicant) for the NRF Next Generation Scholarship. Both received expenses-paid trips to NYC for the Program. Mannion was invited to the NRF Gala on Sunday night, where she met Glossier founder Emily Weiss (a dream come true!). Tauriac is the Santa Clara Retail Studies Student Association (RSSA) president, as well as SCU’s NRF Ambassador. She explains that "NRF was eye-opening because it made me realize how many retail professionals out there want you to succeed because you are the future of their companies and corporations. If you ask them to be mentors, they are more than willing to help you in whatever ways they can." George said that her favorite part of the Student Program was the Mentorship Panel. “In small groups, we got to speak with leaders who gave us good advice and answered any questions we had.”
Scholarship recipients at Retail's BIG Show.
All ten students attended the first day of Retail’s BIG Show with Cynthia Gamage, Associate Director for RMI and Dr. Gail Kirby, lecturer in the Department of Marketing and faculty advisor in RMI. We began the day listening to keynote speakers Jeremy King, Walmart Chief Technology Officer, and Carolyn Tastad, Procter & Gamble Group President. A group favorite was a panel discussion led by Rebecca Minkoff, Founder and Creative Director of Rebecca Minkoff, Diane Dietz, CEO of Rodan + Fields, and Andy Dunn, Bonobos Founder and Walmart SVP of Digital Brands. Key topics included diversity in the workplace, the power and rights of women, and honesty. To conclude the day, we dined at the Opening Night Reception. Throughout the weekend, many students landed job interviews and toured the expo halls!
Company visits were a major highlight of the trip. PVH Head Designer Michael Flynn met with us in the office’s IZOD showroom on Monday morning. SCU alumna and Account Executive Dylan Carlin (‘13) also joined us! We talked brand ownership vs. licensing, supply chain management, advertising, design campaigns, and owned brands. That afternoon, the Jill Curran scholars were given a fabulous presentation in the John Varvatos showroom. Over coffee, CEO Mark Brashear (SCU ‘83) and his team showed us who the brand is, JV market penetration and digital transformation, as well as its indexes on the L2 Digital IQ scoring index. We learned of marketing initiatives and the delightfully intricate CRM process.
Students pictured with Dr. Kirby and Michael Flynn at PVH.
Following our Monday company visits, we had dinner with alumnae Julianna Johnson (‘08), Divisional Merchandise Manager at Gucci and Lizzy Sullivan (‘08), Buying Director for One King’s Lane. Some of their words of wisdom included advice to ask pointed questions about company initiatives and culture when interviewing. Johnson believes that one should always know a company inside-out before going to an interview. This usually means visiting stores, websites, and social media pages, and touching product, if possible! Our close contact with so many alumni over the weekend is a testament to the power of the SCU community. For me, the alumni dinner was the perfect way to keep in mind my reason for being in NYC, and what the Jill Curran Scholarship means: a passion for retail and life in general, and an urge to connect with and uplift our Santa Clara community.
On Tuesday, we made the ascent to JCDecaux North America in the Empire State Building. Mark Costa, Chief Digital Officer, presented the ins and outs of advertising firm JCDecaux North America, the company’s French origins, and its global reach. We were educated on security measures and nuances in the street furniture and digital billboard industry, as well as the extensive agreements with cities and the service initiatives the company owns, like bike sharing and public toilets. Mr. Costa was even kind enough to take us to the building’s observatory deck. We lunched with Co-CEO, Jean-Luc Decaux, who shared his stories of growing up in Paris and how he connects his roots to his job within the family company.
Sprinkled throughout the weekend was some laid-back fun! Many students chose to see Broadway shows (Mean Girls) or visit with family, friends, or more SCU alumni. The unique NYC retail shopping experiences unrivaled by other cities were not ignored. Above all, students were grateful for the opportunity to spend time with each other and with impressive company leaders, who were more than willing to give their time to and field the questions of young professionals. I thank, on behalf of all of us, SCU RMI, Cynthia Gamage and Dr. Kirby, NRF, and of course, the Curran family. Without them, our trip and experiential learning would not be possible. We are grateful for our visits with alumni, remembrance of Jill, new company encounters, and overall inspiration. We have all been further empowered to become the next leaders in the future of retail and to remain conscientious citizens of the Santa Clara community.