Heidi Westgaard

For FIDM grad Heidi Westgaard, continuing her education in FIDM’s Bachelor of Science degree program in Business Management was the only choice. “I looked at other universities and FIDM is so career-focused; there’s definitely more of a one-on-one environment compared to a larger university.”

Getting her Bachelor’s “had always been a goal” for Heidi, but fashion seemed to be her passion. “I always wanted to be in fashion but didn’t know how to do it,” she remembers. While attending a junior college in her home state of Wyoming on an athletic scholarship, Heidi began looking into her options. She soon found FIDM online. “I just knew that’s what I wanted to do,” she recalls. She graduated with an A.A. degree in Merchandise Marketing, with the goals of entering the PR industry, becoming a Buyer and, eventually, a Store Owner.

“When I was interviewing for jobs after I graduated,” says Heidi, “anyone in the fashion world was always impressed by FIDM.” But Heidi noticed that some corporations still feel that buying positions can benefit from a Bachelor’s degree. When she heard that FIDM would be expanding their curriculum to offer the Bachelor’s program, she envisioned how it could enhance the knowledge she’d already gained in her Associate’s degree to produce a package that would be very attractive to any fashion industry employer.

Heidi had already had the benefit of FIDM’s targeted, industry-focused curriculum with A.A. degree classes like Applied Buying and Merchandise Presentation that relate directly to her career path. She’d gotten feedback from employers who understood and appreciated the relevance of an education at FIDM. “Employers respected my opinion and were impressed by the understanding that I already had of the industry.” With a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from FIDM, Heidi felt she’d have the best of both worlds. “You have the degree that they feel is beneficial, but they also know you have the knowledge to back it up.” Heidi likes that FIDM’s Business Management degree is designed to prepare students for both the corporate world and to start their own businesses, because she plans to do both in her career.

Both FIDM’s A.A. and B.S. degree programs strongly encourage students to work in the fashion, graphics, interior design, or entertainment industries while they’re going to school so that they can use their employment as on-the-job training for their future careers. Heidi is busy utilizing the learning she gleans at FIDM in her current, impressive position as a Visual Merchandiser at Polo Ralph Lauren. Meanwhile, she has also been interning with an up and coming Los Angeles based public relations firm. With her sights set on a fabulous career in fashion, Heidi is clearly laying a foundation for future success!