2019-20

Jill Curran Scholars from Santa Clara University’s Retail Management Institute joined hundreds of retail students in New York at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Student Program and engaged with industry - explored retail concept stores and experienced all the vibrancy and sparkle New York has to offer. Resley Elletson ‘21, Joycelyn George ‘21, Katarina Draskovic ‘21, Christina Domanico ‘21, Anelly Allmen ‘20 as NRF Ambassador, Kelli Bates ‘20, and Cecilia Fan ‘20 attended this year’ trip.  

"Professor Gail Kirby took students in the Retail Management Institute to New York City during the first week of the quarter to attend the NRF conference. This conference is held annually to bring retailers together to discuss and analyze current trends in the industry. Being able to attend granted students access to hearing keynote speakers, attending networking events, and many more great opportunities. The RMI students also visited concept stores and showrooms, such as the Calvin Klein showroom and a tour of the Gucci concept store. We were fortunate enough to connect with RMI alumni over lunch in New York City as well, which we all really enjoyed. Ultimately, it was a great experience and I strongly encourage students in RMI to apply for the opportunity to attend next year!" - Presley Elletson, RSSA Executive Board Member, Marketing Major, RMI Minor, Class of 2021

"Going to New York City, and being able to attend NRF was one of the most incredible experiences I've had at Santa Clara University. I remember during one of the NRF keynote sessions, Emily Chang, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Starbucks, talked about having a personal brand and thinking about what do you represent. That idea really struck me because I have learned so much about other companies' branding in my marketing classes, but I have never given thoughts to my personal brand/slogan, which got me to start thinking about my core values and how I can bring these values to my future career. Visiting JCDecaux was also extremely educational. The industry has put so much emphasis on social media and digital marketing these days that I have completely neglected the power of outdoor advertising. It was amazing to see how JCDecaux was able to turn a simple bus stop into an interactive virtual reality booth. New York City has shown so many exciting elements of retail that I look forward to being part of this ever-evolving industry." - Cecilia Fan, Santa Clara University '20, Finance and Economics Major, Retail Studies Minor, Retail Studies Student Association Social Media and Marketing Director

"The trip to New York for NRF was the first time that I have ever been on the East Coast. New York has always been a dream of mine, so it was amazing to be there for 4 days. Attending NRF was such a special experience and I gained such valuable insight into the retail industry from the conference. I really enjoyed all the speakers at NRF and having the opportunity to be mentored by retail leaders. Also, walking through all the concept stores in New York was a lot of fun and definitely an experience I will never forget. My three favorite stores we went to were Nike, Prada, and Gucci. Another highlight from the trip was meeting alumni Mark Costa, Mike Osorio, & Curt Duane. I really enjoyed hearing about their careers in the retail and advertising space, and it was awesome to see how much success they have had and how they are playing a key role in the transformation of the retail industry. I am very grateful for the RMI leadership team and our alumni for all they do to make this opportunity available for students." -Katarina Draskovic, Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Business Management & Retail Studies, Class of 20

"I thought it was especially interesting to visit the new Nordstrom NYC Flagship store after learning about it in the RMI Senior Seminar. In the RMI senior seminar, we had the chance to hear about the strategy that went into planning the Nordstrom NYC Flagship store from Teri Bariquit, the Chief Merchandising Officer at Nordstrom. She explained that the Nordstrom NYC Flagship store is very experience based and aims to redefine retail! After our visit we all agreed that the NYC flagship store was unlike any other Nordstrom we had visited. The store is beautiful and features many rotating pop-up shops. 8/8 would recommend!” - Anelly Allmen, RSSA President