Sanjana Jain is a senior at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana, where she currently serves as the FIDM Fashion Club President. Sanjana started the FIDM Fashion Club at her high school after meeting FIDM College Representative Cynthia Hougardy at the FCCLA Conference in San Diego.
Sanjana won a full-year FIDM/FCCLA Scholarship at the National Conference in San Diego this past summer. FIDM provides three full-year scholarships for high school juniors and seniors at the FCCLA National Competitions, in addition to $5,000 scholarships in seven different categories at the FCCLA State Conferences.
We recently caught up with Sanjana, who shared with us her FIDM Fashion Club goals and tips.
You are the president of your FIDM Fashion Club. How did you get the club started? What plans/activities does your club have for this school year? When I first heard about the club during the NLC convention at the FIDM booth, I knew right then I wanted to start it. So I went on the website and talked to some of the advisers at FIDM to start the club. We are just now getting started on the “ToteBag Project” where we are sewing tote bags and filling them with winter necessities like blankets, mittens, and hats. We are also running a food drive to add into our tote bags and we’ll donate them to homeless shelters all over Indiana.
You won a full-year FIDM/FCCLA Scholarship at the National Conference in San Diego last summer. Congratulations! Which category did you participate in and what was your project?I participated in Level 3 Fashion Design. I entered a bridal garment I called Scarlet Rose. It incorporates both my Indian and American backgrounds and it is what I ideally want to wear at my wedding to represent both my cultures. It consists of a red blouse that is covered in a red lace overlay, a long pleated skirt with two layers of lace and interfaced cotton, and a chiffon chunni with a lace border.
What are your future college and career plans? For my undergraduate degree I want to study law and public policy, and minor in fashion. I want to eventually go into law school and specialize in “Fashion Law” where you study intellectual property, consumer culture and civil rights, privacy and issues related to wearable technology, etc.
What advice would you give someone interested in starting a FIDM Fashion Club at their school? It is a great opportunity to learn a skill you can use for the rest of your life. FIDM Fashion Club can jump start your career because there are opportunities that can gain you scholarships, and get you experience that you can use for your future career.
What have you learned so far as president of your FIDM Fashion Club? I’ve learned to manage my time efficiently and take everyone’s ideas and put them together to make one project. At first it only started as a small tote project because they are easy to make and everyone could participate, but as more people started to join they added the ideas of including winter necessities and incorporating it with a food drive.
