Roxanne Pedraza attended MMFS from 2004 until 2010. After she left at the age of 13, she attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, where she studied fashion design. Currently, she is attending Buffalo State College and is majoring in Fashion and Textile Technology with a concentration in Apparel Design.
Roxanne didn’t have a hard time deciding which college to attend because she already knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to be able to study fashion, have the college experience, and expand her skills. Roxanne explained, “Once you have something so specific, it can help you decide on the right college for you.”
Roxanne says that going to college is an exciting and yet stressful experience. She has met a lot of amazing people there. She has also learned a lot about the fashion industry and that there is more to the industry than design and merchandising. This academic year, she is studying abroad in Florence, Italy. She is learning Italian, art and fashion. Being in Italy has taught her a lot about herself. It has also allowed Roxanne to do some traveling. She has visited Pisa and Lucca, in Italy, and Aarhus, in Denmark. Next semester she plans to do a lot more traveling.
For the past few summers, Roxanne has interned for several fashion companies. This summer, she will be working as an intern in Barcelona for two months with another fashion company.
Roxanne says that MMFS made a huge impact in her life and she is very grateful. “Being at Mary McDowell taught me that I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to. I have kept that mindset after I left. The skills that I learned at Mary McDowell I still use today. They help me achieve my goals.”