University of Richmond Athletics
Summer Spider Series: Jess Miller
07/22/2014 | Women's Lacrosse
The Richmond Spiders women's lacrosse team takes full advantage of resources that the University of Richmond provides during their summer months by studying or taking internships abroad, or staying in the U.S. to take classes and gain work experience. During the summer, the members of the team will be sharing their summer adventures.
This is the next in our Summer Spider Series detailing some of our Spiders' summer adventures. Follow these posts to learn more about a few Spiders and what they have been up to this summer!
For previous entries into the Summer Spider Series, click this link to our Series Page...
Summer Spider Series: Rising senior Jess Miller, a rhetoric and communications major and film minor, was selected to intern at a fashion company, Diane Von Furstenburg, in New York City (NYC) this summer. Hear more about Jess's experience in her own words below…
JM: This summer I have the opportunity to work at a very iconic and prestigious fashion company in New York City, Diane Von Furstenburg. I bet you're probably thinking of Anne Hathaway's burdensome experience as a fashion intern in the movie The Devil Wears Prada but fortunately that hasn't been my experience so far. Trust me, I was a little nervous about what I've seen in the media about fashion internships as well. It turns out that everyone in the office is extremely nice and willing to work with the interns in order for us to learn and succeed. A normal day at Diane Von Furstenburg typically consists of checking availability on products, reporting best sellers, keeping the accessory gallery organized and clean, and other tasks to include programs such as excel and powerpoint that I also commonly use at Richmond. The fashion world is fun and vibrant which makes my summer job working in the industry extremely enjoyable and a great learning experience.
The best part about my internship is the team dynamic within every individual department, such as PR, ready to wear, social media, etc. As a lacrosse player, team dynamic is everything. Everyone is necessary and equally important in regards to getting the job done. Utilizing this team dynamic at work helps me advance my skills of working with other people to accomplish a common goal. This is an example of where the team dynamic skills that I've developed at Richmond enhance my ability to succeed in a professional setting. My specific department in sales and accessories has four interns itself but every other department also has at least four interns who eventually became my everyday acquaintances and friends. For these connections with other people alone I am very grateful. Other skills that have been refined during my time at Diane Von Furstenburg are time management, organizational behavior and professionalism.
Not only is the internship an unforgettable experience, but spending most of my time in New York City is an amazing experience in itself. I'm from Ridgewood, New Jersey so the commute is relatively quick and easy. Nothing that music and a book can't overcome. I'm also lucky enough to spend some nights in the city at three of my Richmond teammate's apartment, as it is the highlight of my weeks in the big apple. Overall, my enlightening experience as a DVF team member provides me with real world insight that will benefit me in the future.
