Junior Alexandra Howard is a full-time swimmer, a part-time New Yorker and a lover of all things fashion.

She is also a full-time St. Thomas student pursuing a major in marketing and a minor in communication and journalism, and she has spent her past two summers interning in the fashion industry.

The summer after her first year at St. Thomas, Howard enrolled in a class at New York University. Howard planned on living in New York for six months, but her plans quickly changed when she networked her way into two fashion internships.

“My decision to move to New York after my freshman year taught me a lot about myself,” she said. “It taught me to not be scared of anything and go for what you want.”

During New York Fashion Week in September 2016, Howard interned for Launchmetrics by prepping technology and software before fashion shows and assisting several designers’ public relations teams. Howard has been able to work with and be surrounded by a number of influential members of the fashion industry, including models Kylie Jenner and Gigi Hadid, as well as Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue.

Even though Howard spends a lot of her time in New York, she has her feet firmly planted in Minnesota.

“Family is really important to me,” Howard said. “I also have made such good friends with my swim teammates that I know I couldn’t find anywhere else.”

Howard joined the swim team her first year at St. Thomas. Fellow swimmer junior Molly Vancil described the energy Howard brings to every practice and meet.

“She’s a good teammate, she’s a good friend and she never stops smiling. She brings such a big personality to the team,” Vancil said. “She’s a hardworker all around, and that shows in the pool and in other areas in her life,” Vancil said.

Howard’s love for fashion began when her family spent their holidays in New York City.

“My interest in fashion grew more and more with every trip. I just knew that I wanted to work in the fashion world,” Howard said. “I look at fashion as an art, creativity and a way of expressing myself.”

Howard has experienced a lot of early success, but she is not immune to hearing ‘no.’

“I got told ‘no’ a lot, but I didn’t let that stop me. I kept persisting and putting myself out there. I’ve learned to keep going if I’ve been told no, and work around it,” Howard said.

This coming summer, Howard is planning on interning for KCD Worldwide, a leading fashion services agency in New York City.

Sophie Ringold can be reached at ring3415@stthomas.edu.