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Katelyn Bischof shows her designs to students in Fashion II classes.

On February 8, Class of 2006 Goshen High School graduate Katelyn Bischof visited her alma mater to speak to Fashion II classes about her experiences at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City, where she is working towards a bachelor degree in fashion design and an associate degree in fashion merchandising management.

Katelyn discussed her numerous classes and projects and brought in portfolios and samples to share with the Fashion II students. She also talked about her career plans as well as why she chose to go to FIT.

“I decided to pursue a career in fashion because it has always been a part of my life and something that interested me,” said Katelyn. “I decided to take two classes at FIT in the summer program, which helped me to make my final decision. At that point, I was sure that I wanted to go into fashion and that FIT would be the only school where I would apply.”

Katelyn was quick to point out that being a fashion design student isn’t as glamorous as it may appear. She explained that the work is extremely time consuming and there are many nights where she and her classmates get little or even no sleep. But that hasn’t fazed her or made her regret her decision.

“My favorite part of being a design student at FIT is the creative environment,” said Katelyn. “Nothing about this school is normal and the people that go here are not your average student. It's fun because we don't sit in class and learn from a book for three hours; we learn to create.”

Katelyn will represent FIT in a competitive fashion show, called Fusion, against students at Parsons School of Design. Fifteen designers were chosen from each school to compete for the titles of best designer and best school overall. Each designer must create a collection of five outfits. Katelyn’s collection is called Confection, which was inspired by delicate pastries that she saw on a recent trip to Paris.

Fusion will be judged by several industry professionals, including Austin Scarlette from Bravo’s Project Runway, Atoosa Rubenstein from Seventeen Magazine and Sarah Harshorne, a contestant from America's Next Top Model. For more information, visit www.fusionfashionshow.com.