February 2023 Spotlight: Daniela Nevati
Daniela Nevati, ISPA Class of 2018, Florida International University, July 2022
Degree: Business Administration in Marketing and International Business
Career Goals: Luxury Fashion Management
What has been the biggest surprise about the college experience? The biggest surprise about my college experience was the freedom I had when planning my schedule every semester. I had the opportunity to take classes while working part-time, and I managed both successfully by being very organized and consistent with my goals.
Most challenging coursework in college? The most challenging coursework in college were all the finance classes I had to take for both Marketing and International Business majors.
Accomplishment most proud of? I am very proud of my career journey. I graduated with a double major in 3 years, and I’ve had amazing work opportunities that have made the professional I am today. I was able to gain 4 years of experience in fashion luxury retail, and 3 different internships on marketing, and sales operations which gave me the skillset for my current position as Operational Marketing Coordinator at Parfums Christian Dior.
Can you provide any advice for current ISPA students? The advice I would give ISPA students is that consistency is key for growing your career. I started my career while I was a student at ISPA, there I took advantage of the work experience program offered during my senior year. I focused on luxury retail as I always knew I wanted to work in the fashion industry. If you are an ISPA senior, take advantage of this program and look for jobs that match you career goals. There are a lot of lessons you learn with every work experience you have, cherish those lessons, and use them to grow.
Another piece of advice that I wish I knew when I graduated high school was to build connections at your workplace. Building a network is critical in every career and will be vital to your future success. Don’t be afraid to ask mentors you find along your career path to give you guidance. You can start building your network by connecting with ISPA school alumni that have your similar career aspirations.
Can you tell us how ISPA prepared you for success in college and in life? I moved to the U.S when I was 15 years old from Colombia. ISPA being an international school made my transition journey easier because I had teachers that spoke Spanish and were understanding of my language barrier. Courses such as ESL and intensive reading helped me learn English and succeed in all my classes. I also took advantage of many AP courses that were counted as college credits at FIU which saved me a lot of time by meeting the requirements of electives I had to take to graduate. Looking back, ISPA gave me a lot of tools to succeed in college from honors and AP challenging classes to the opportunity to start my career enrolling in the work experience program.
I paid for college with… scholarships.
Fondest memory from High School? There are many great memories I have from ISPA, I would say that my fondest memory are all the senior events such as senior breakfast and prom.