Student
Transfer Student is Making Her Dreams Come True at FIDM
Born and raised in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa, Creative Industry Studies Student Taylor Holder first discovered her interest in beauty around age four. “I had to have every single set of the play makeup for children and would just play in it for hours,” she recalls. By her teens, Taylor was watching “a ton” of YouTube beauty videos and knew she wanted to work in the industry. After attending Paul Mitchell cosmetology school and Tulsa Community College, where she earned her A.A. degree in Marketing, Taylor transferred to FIDM to make her beauty dreams come to fruition. We recently chatted with her to learn more.
What was your path to FIDM like? I decided to go to cosmetology school right out of high school and once I was in the salon I decided it wasn’t the service side of the beauty industry that I wanted to be in, but it was the manufacturing and developing side. I remember applying to FIDM on Christmas Eve in 2018, not knowing how I would move my entire life to LA when I had never moved before, and if I could even get accepted into FIDM. I went through the interview process, which was writing an essay and creating a mock beauty product. I chose to do an eyeshadow palette. I then did phone interviews and was accepted a few weeks later. I’m so glad I took the leap to move halfway across the country and attend FIDM; [the college] has really provided me with a ton of knowledge.
What made you want to transfer to FIDM after studying at Tulsa Community College? I really wanted to be in a program that was targeted towards the beauty industry. Once I found FIDM and saw that they had a major for exactly what I wanted I knew it was the school for me. I received my AA in Marketing and it tied into my current major here at FIDM, which is Creative Industry Studies, Beauty Marketing & Product Development.
What are you enjoying most about being in the CIS Program? I love that there is a mix of Beauty classes and General Studies classes; the General Studies classes have also done a good job at tying in the different majors offered at FIDM and I think that has made me more interested in things I typically wouldn’t be interested in.
How is FIDM helping prepare you for your career? FIDM has taught me so much about the beauty industry. I think a huge thing FIDM has prepared me for is all of the group work we do. Working in the beauty industry, you are very likely to be working in a group of people from all different departments and it has been a good experience to do that while I am still in school.
What are your career goals after graduating? I plan to work in product development. My top three brands that I would love to work for are ColourPop, Huda Beauty, and Anastasia Beverly Hills. After I work in the industry for a while, I eventually want to create my own color cosmetics line, and possibly venture out into skin and hair in the future.
Is there anything else you'd like to share? I’m really glad I chose to go to FIDM since it’s really helped me get a clearer path of what I want my career to be. The teachers are amazing and have educated me on things I never even knew existed. The experience that I’ve had has been great! I especially enjoyed getting to go on the LA Beauty Tour where beauty students got the opportunity to visit some of my favorite beauty companies such as ColourPop, Kylie Cosmetics, and Algenist. I wish I would have found out about FIDM sooner, but I am happy I am here now soaking in all of the knowledge and experiences!
Keep up with Taylor on Instagram @taylorrrholder.
Categories: Beauty Marketing & Product Development Creative Industry Studies Transfer Student
