The Chicsters

I decided that I wanted to be a writer when I was about seven years old, and I haven't changed my mind since. At an early age, I was reading books, writing stories, and keeping diaries.

My love for magazines began during the days when TeenBeat centerfolds of JTT, Hanson, and NSync plastered my walls. I'd buy every magazine featuring my favorite celebrity on the cover, which exposed me to a variety of writing from teen magazines to women's magazines to music magazines.

When I was about eleven, I started learning HTML designing websites. Three years later I debuted my first domain, stringless.org, an NSync fansite that folded in 2002 when I had my first boyfriend and suddenly lost interest in my celebrity idols.

Despite – or perhaps because – I attended a Catholic high school, I was very interested in fashion. One Friday night at the mall, my best friend Carolyn and I were shopping at Delia*s – our favorite store – and were, naturally, dressed in head-to-toe Delia*s (right down to our underwear!). Noticing our outfits and recognizing us as regular shoppers, the manager asked us to work at the store. We were so honored! We both got the job and had the time of our lives buying, wearing, and working with clothes we loved together.

As a senior in high school, I gravitated more to the casual, preppy styles of American Eagle and Hollister. I left Delia*s for a job at American Eagle, where I worked for a year. While at American Eagle, I got a second job at the Sunglass Hut where, for the first time, I was exposed to designer merchandise. I was in love! I couldn’t resist the discount on designer eyewear and always dressed up for the job, even though it wasn’t required.

Unfortunately, mall wages were not supporting my shopping addiction, and it didn’t help that my favorite stores were only a lunch break away. After four years and tons of memories working at the mall, I knew I had to move on.

Since my sophomore year in college, I’ve been working as a host at the Olive Garden. It hasn’t cured my shopping addiction completely, but it’s now under control. And although it kills me to wear a uniform everyday, I’ve actually met some really fun people.

As much fun as I’ve had growing up, I’m ready to get serious with my career. I’m now a junior in college, living on my own. And now that I’m only an hour away from my dream life in New York, anything’s possible!