Student
Air Force Veteran Blaire Morel is Blazing a Creative Path at FIDM
Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, Blaire Morel was creative from a young age, writing short stories and singing. While a student at Chesterton High School, Blaire wrote a story about sirens that was published and performed in the show choir, which took her to Disneyland. “There’s been a lot that’s happened in my life and creativity has always been my outlet and escape from the noise,” she said. After graduation, Blaire served in the U.S. Air Force for four years, and worked as a healthcare administrator. After realizing she wanted to get back on a creative path, she applied to FIDM and is studying Merchandising & Marketing. We recently chatted with Blaire about her college experience and career plans.
How did you first hear about FIDM and what made you want to attend? I already have a degree in healthcare that I got during my military service. I realized that I was not following my dreams or doing what I love. I was kind of just doing what people and society said I was supposed to do to be “practical.” In discovering myself, I found that I was extremely creative and already knew I loved fashion and media, so I chose to do something different: choose myself and jump.
How did you select your major? Choosing my major was a no-brainer for me as I have always been very good with people and lived by the idea that we sell ourselves and our brand every day when we interact with others. I am extremely passionate about marketing and so I was and still am excited about it as I’m graduating my A.A. this summer and continuing to my bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing.
Tell us about your experience as a Merchandising & Marketing student at FIDM: It has honestly been exceptional. I love learning about consumer’s behavior and other classes like Public Relations and how to effectively use Adobe with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Regarding my favorite instructors, I have a few that were beyond amazing, and I hope to keep in touch with them following my degree. Kimberly Island, Kendall Hoeft, Aneesha DuBois, Danielle Levine, Nicole Craig, Lori Bleckmann, and Patricia Turner went above and beyond to help us be our best selves in their respective fields. I can truly say I loved their classes and I believe that they really set us up for success in our futures.
What excites you most about the industry and what do you hope to do after graduation? I love our industry so much and get so excited because the skies are the limit. What I mean by that is that our creativity can have no bounds or ceiling. We are free to express ourselves and have that mean something and make a difference. I feel so blessed to be entering the industry with the knowledge I have gained and hope to work for a big brand on their marketing team (creative side).
What have been the most valuable lessons you've learned so far? One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned so far is that relationships and connections with others are everything. It truly is about who you know and how you can get your foot in the door.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us? I am so grateful to be highlighted and to show how someone who is different like me, a mixed trans woman from a little town in Indiana could now be living in LA following her dreams. Society paints pictures and narratives of groups of people as a “standard,” but the reality is we have the freedom to reinvent ourselves and be whoever we want to be. We write our own story and create our own reality. I can’t wait to see what my next chapter holds for me.
Attend our Online Lecture Series event, The Art & Science of Fashion Buying, on Thursday, July 15, 2021, from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT. Register for the free event here.
Categories: Merchandising & Marketing Military Veteran Student Transfer Student
