1 00:00:00,370 --> 00:00:03,090 Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations. 2 00:00:03,230 --> 00:00:04,980 I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll. 3 00:00:05,190 --> 00:00:08,880 In this episode, you'll hear part one of my conversation with 4 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:13,169 Kaitlyn Coskun, a recent graduate of Texas Christian University. 5 00:00:13,820 --> 00:00:18,519 More links and information about today's conversation can be found on Digication's 6 00:00:18,570 --> 00:00:20,580 Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 7 00:00:21,035 --> 00:00:24,854 Full episodes of Digication Scholars Conversations can be found on 8 00:00:24,865 --> 00:00:27,415 YouTube or your favorite podcast app. 9 00:00:28,325 --> 00:00:31,445 Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations. 10 00:00:31,464 --> 00:00:38,124 I'm your host Kelly Driscoll and today I am so excited to introduce Kaitlyn Coskun. 11 00:00:38,504 --> 00:00:42,655 Kaitlyn is a recent graduate of Texas Christian University where 12 00:00:42,655 --> 00:00:46,455 she received a Bachelor of Business, Business Administration and Marketing. 13 00:00:46,464 --> 00:00:47,314 That was a mouthful. 14 00:00:47,665 --> 00:00:50,995 And a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising. 15 00:00:51,075 --> 00:00:52,214 Welcome Kaitlyn. 16 00:00:52,845 --> 00:00:53,004 Yes. 17 00:00:53,004 --> 00:00:54,864 Thank you so much for having me, Kelly. 18 00:00:54,864 --> 00:00:57,035 I'm so excited to get into this today. 19 00:00:57,425 --> 00:00:59,195 Yes, me too. 20 00:00:59,285 --> 00:01:03,934 Um, so before we hopped onto our recording here today, I was telling 21 00:01:03,934 --> 00:01:11,934 Kaitlyn that when I discovered her beautiful combination of her experiences 22 00:01:11,974 --> 00:01:22,024 at TCU, that I was just completely amazed by the quality of the work. 23 00:01:22,054 --> 00:01:27,214 And it's such a beautiful showcase of your experience there. 24 00:01:27,694 --> 00:01:34,535 And it's an amazing, I mean, it really just truly exemplifies This integrative 25 00:01:34,655 --> 00:01:40,965 learning process that in Higher Ed educators are so passionate about, 26 00:01:41,055 --> 00:01:45,415 and you have such a wonderful story to share about your experience and 27 00:01:45,424 --> 00:01:51,730 also what you're doing now, which um, I'm kind of tempted to start there. 28 00:01:52,030 --> 00:01:57,480 So, um, I think some people listening may not be so familiar with what 29 00:01:57,860 --> 00:02:03,720 Fashion Merchandising is all about and maybe what you have, um, been 30 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:06,610 able to achieve as a recent graduate. 31 00:02:06,639 --> 00:02:08,449 So I would kind of like start there. 32 00:02:08,530 --> 00:02:12,530 Start with what you're doing now and then we can kind of work our way backwards 33 00:02:12,589 --> 00:02:16,700 because it's so great with what you've already achieved as a recent graduate. 34 00:02:17,580 --> 00:02:19,120 Yeah, no, that's perfect. 35 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:24,679 I am currently working at Neiman Marcus, which is a luxury retailer. 36 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,975 Um, nationally known here in the U. 37 00:02:27,975 --> 00:02:28,555 S. 38 00:02:28,974 --> 00:02:34,054 and this is my first company full time job out of college and I've 39 00:02:34,054 --> 00:02:36,514 been here about two and a half years. 40 00:02:36,974 --> 00:02:42,534 Um, and it was honestly such a pantry moment when I ended up getting 41 00:02:42,534 --> 00:02:44,694 this role straight out of school. 42 00:02:44,754 --> 00:02:45,174 Yes. 43 00:02:45,234 --> 00:02:50,094 I, there's a lot of backstory as to kind of me looking and trying to figure 44 00:02:50,094 --> 00:02:53,584 out what it is I wanted to do, which I feel like a lot of college students 45 00:02:56,030 --> 00:02:59,640 Just have no idea unless you're on one of those tracks where you know, 46 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,370 when you're kind of like just a kid in high school like medical or you 47 00:03:04,370 --> 00:03:07,790 end up going to finance, there's like steps that you follow and 48 00:03:07,790 --> 00:03:09,679 then you end up in that position. 49 00:03:10,049 --> 00:03:13,829 Fashion is a whole nother realm where there's just so many 50 00:03:13,829 --> 00:03:17,529 possibilities and that kind of plays in with the creative side of it. 51 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:23,170 Uh, so when I was, uh, graduating, I looked into a lot of different companies, 52 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:27,170 definitely did my research, trying to figure out where I wanted to go. 53 00:03:27,190 --> 00:03:33,610 Um, I did go to TCU, which is based here in Texas, and otherwise I didn't have any 54 00:03:33,649 --> 00:03:40,390 ties here per se, but, uh, Neiman Marcus Group is based here, and it was one of the 55 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,370 first ones that I was really looking at. 56 00:03:42,980 --> 00:03:46,890 It definitely has that brand recognition, especially if you're in the fashion world. 57 00:03:47,230 --> 00:03:51,820 Uh, so I applied to a bunch of jobs there that seemed right up my alley with 58 00:03:51,850 --> 00:03:57,709 my marketing and Fashion Merchandising background, um, and ended up landing 59 00:03:57,780 --> 00:04:03,500 this image coordinator position that focuses on our overseas and remote photo 60 00:04:03,500 --> 00:04:08,960 shoots, which if you know me, that's like The perfect combination of who I am. 61 00:04:10,510 --> 00:04:15,210 I never knew that, like, this job existed before I came across it online, 62 00:04:15,450 --> 00:04:19,860 which goes to show that really just things happen for a reason and things 63 00:04:19,860 --> 00:04:23,460 will play out how they're supposed to and to just have faith in the process. 64 00:04:23,519 --> 00:04:29,020 But in this position, I have grown a lot in the past two and a half years. 65 00:04:29,410 --> 00:04:36,220 Starting off, I manage The core of the job is managing the imagery that 66 00:04:36,220 --> 00:04:42,159 comes from our photoshoots that are done remotely, which is everything not 67 00:04:42,159 --> 00:04:43,870 shot here in Dallas where we're based. 68 00:04:43,870 --> 00:04:50,909 So that includes Milan, Paris, London, and New York City, which I wish 69 00:04:50,919 --> 00:04:55,070 that I was on location, but I handle everything remotely here in Dallas. 70 00:04:55,555 --> 00:05:00,425 Um, but it does give me the opportunity to travel if I want to, uh, just 71 00:05:00,425 --> 00:05:02,035 not for the job, unfortunately. 72 00:05:02,185 --> 00:05:10,534 Not yet, fingers crossed, but yeah, I, to put it simply, I manage the imagery that's 73 00:05:10,535 --> 00:05:12,385 going to go on our eCommerce website. 74 00:05:12,575 --> 00:05:17,185 So when you're online shopping for a shirt, for example, you're going to click 75 00:05:17,185 --> 00:05:19,735 on it and see a couple different angles. 76 00:05:19,765 --> 00:05:21,795 Maybe there's five, depending on the company. 77 00:05:21,795 --> 00:05:25,075 There'll be a different number of images per item. 78 00:05:25,665 --> 00:05:27,994 I narrow down thousands and thousands. 79 00:05:27,995 --> 00:05:32,214 I've worked on so like hundreds of thousands of images to the ones that 80 00:05:32,214 --> 00:05:36,685 really fit our brand image at the time and the direction that we're going 81 00:05:36,685 --> 00:05:40,815 in based off the platform, which if you're not familiar with Neiman Marcus. 82 00:05:40,975 --> 00:05:46,480 We are a company of two, which is Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, which 83 00:05:46,865 --> 00:05:52,445 Bergdorf Goodman is based in New York, whereas Niemann's is based here in Dallas, 84 00:05:52,895 --> 00:05:59,055 um, and I have specialized in the Bergdorf Goodman imagery, uh, while I'm still well 85 00:05:59,055 --> 00:06:02,695 versed in the Niemann Marcus one as well, I have a counterpart who works on that, 86 00:06:02,705 --> 00:06:06,194 that I have, um, trained up to this point. 87 00:06:06,844 --> 00:06:11,930 So, yeah, it was, uh, Very exciting post college going into it 88 00:06:11,969 --> 00:06:13,540 because I've always loved imagery. 89 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:18,749 Like, I'm such a visual person, just, it, it's so natural and intuitive 90 00:06:18,749 --> 00:06:25,390 to me to go through images and find the one that really encapsulates 91 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:29,900 the perfect design elements of like balance and texture and color. 92 00:06:30,460 --> 00:06:33,080 And I think it just came from an early age. 93 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:37,610 I did it without even thinking about a career through social media as a, 94 00:06:38,330 --> 00:06:40,180 like a high schooler and younger. 95 00:06:40,209 --> 00:06:44,529 Um, so then when I came across here, I felt greatly equipped. 96 00:06:44,609 --> 00:06:50,820 Um, and since I've been here, I have definitely grown into more of a junior 97 00:06:50,820 --> 00:06:53,730 producer position where I help people. 98 00:06:54,025 --> 00:06:58,844 Further manage the overall production of the photo shoot. 99 00:06:58,844 --> 00:07:03,334 So that's from start to finish of getting everyone organized, getting 100 00:07:03,345 --> 00:07:12,124 the right people and teams in place, um, budgeting, uh, negotiating rates. 101 00:07:12,549 --> 00:07:15,369 Getting everyone to the right location, making sure everything 102 00:07:15,379 --> 00:07:20,230 is well organized logistically, and then providing image guides to the 103 00:07:20,230 --> 00:07:24,059 photographers on what exactly needs to be done with the right direction. 104 00:07:24,290 --> 00:07:27,829 Getting those images back, which is at the core of my job, and going 105 00:07:27,830 --> 00:07:32,710 through those, curating it for our company to put out the best product for 106 00:07:32,750 --> 00:07:35,634 customers to end up buying our product. 107 00:07:35,775 --> 00:07:36,755 Buying our merchandise. 108 00:07:36,775 --> 00:07:38,475 So, yeah, that's a bit. 109 00:07:38,475 --> 00:07:39,825 It's just extraordinary. 110 00:07:39,825 --> 00:07:50,395 I just, I love your story and you, you clearly have a creative soul and I think 111 00:07:50,755 --> 00:07:58,584 such a gift for kind of storytelling and you've done that through both 112 00:07:59,574 --> 00:08:03,714 your words and your imagery and your. 113 00:08:04,504 --> 00:08:05,554 Design Aesthetic. 114 00:08:05,564 --> 00:08:11,974 You're a very clear communicator on multiple levels, which you really exuded 115 00:08:12,015 --> 00:08:21,655 through what you created using Digication and is clearly at play in your work today. 116 00:08:22,754 --> 00:08:26,955 Thank you so much for sharing what you've been doing since graduation. 117 00:08:26,965 --> 00:08:29,835 So now we'll rewind a little bit. 118 00:08:29,979 --> 00:08:37,689 And I would love for you to share kind of how you found your way to TCU. 119 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:42,460 Uh, I, I recall, I think you're a Southern California gal, right? 120 00:08:42,509 --> 00:08:43,040 Yep, sure am. 121 00:08:43,650 --> 00:08:43,950 Yes. 122 00:08:44,129 --> 00:08:46,429 And you guys are based in California too, right? 123 00:08:46,740 --> 00:08:49,140 Well, we, I was there for a time. 124 00:08:49,140 --> 00:08:55,510 So I was actually born in Southern California and I grew up, uh, in Virginia 125 00:08:56,329 --> 00:09:00,859 and always wanted to move back there. 126 00:09:00,890 --> 00:09:03,010 I just had this like magnetic pull. 127 00:09:03,029 --> 00:09:09,830 So after, um, college and having some kids, we were just like, Alright, 128 00:09:09,850 --> 00:09:13,890 if we're going to do this, we need to do this now before they all start 129 00:09:13,930 --> 00:09:15,840 going through elementary school. 130 00:09:15,860 --> 00:09:19,789 So we did make the leap and I lived out there for about 10 years and 131 00:09:19,790 --> 00:09:21,480 now I'm back on the southeast. 132 00:09:21,770 --> 00:09:22,109 Yeah. 133 00:09:22,109 --> 00:09:22,629 Okay. 134 00:09:23,100 --> 00:09:24,840 The family again, but it was wonderful. 135 00:09:24,850 --> 00:09:26,290 We were in the Bay Area. 136 00:09:26,690 --> 00:09:27,560 Oh, yes. 137 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:27,900 Yep. 138 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,300 I was down in more Southern California, a little north of LA, 139 00:09:31,390 --> 00:09:33,720 but all of California has my heart. 140 00:09:34,110 --> 00:09:35,240 Kind of same thing, though. 141 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:40,250 I haven't been there my whole life, but certainly most of it and my upbringing. 142 00:09:40,500 --> 00:09:43,099 I wasn't born there, though, so a little bit different. 143 00:09:43,410 --> 00:09:47,390 Born in Kansas City, lived in Turkey for a little bit, and then moved 144 00:09:47,410 --> 00:09:49,825 there, and then Now I'm here in Dallas. 145 00:09:50,665 --> 00:09:56,495 Yes, yes, you've had some time, yeah, you've had some time, um, living 146 00:09:56,505 --> 00:09:59,455 and studying abroad, which is great. 147 00:09:59,464 --> 00:10:03,254 And we'll talk about that more too, because you've detailed some of 148 00:10:03,285 --> 00:10:07,024 that in, in the pages of the work that you've created in Digication. 149 00:10:07,795 --> 00:10:13,745 So, um, So being in California, were you there for high school? 150 00:10:14,564 --> 00:10:16,574 Yes, I was there for high school. 151 00:10:17,085 --> 00:10:22,804 So when you were thinking about what you wanted to do next for college, 152 00:10:22,825 --> 00:10:27,515 what were you kind of thinking at the time, you know, as you're getting 153 00:10:27,515 --> 00:10:31,454 ready to start your senior year and think about where you wanted to apply? 154 00:10:32,195 --> 00:10:39,805 Did you already know in the TCU is going to be your destiny or what kind 155 00:10:39,805 --> 00:10:41,374 of things were you thinking about? 156 00:10:41,385 --> 00:10:43,915 Did you know what you wanted to major in? 157 00:10:44,055 --> 00:10:44,944 I'd love to hear it. 158 00:10:45,824 --> 00:10:50,854 Certainly had no idea, which I feel like a lot of people can relate to. 159 00:10:50,915 --> 00:10:55,194 Um, going through high school and just. 160 00:10:55,905 --> 00:11:02,075 My upbringing, I knew I had an interest in fashion, um, but beyond that I really had 161 00:11:02,075 --> 00:11:06,604 no specialization or further idea of it. 162 00:11:06,945 --> 00:11:10,255 Um, so going into like, I think it was about junior years when 163 00:11:10,255 --> 00:11:13,555 you really start applying to colleges, um, back in high school. 164 00:11:14,465 --> 00:11:18,065 I visited a ton of schools through my high school. 165 00:11:18,065 --> 00:11:23,004 We had a good program that brought me all along the East Coast and then I 166 00:11:23,065 --> 00:11:25,394 also saw a lot in California as well. 167 00:11:25,395 --> 00:11:28,489 I, I, Visited so many schools I can't even remember the full number, but 168 00:11:29,239 --> 00:11:30,819 I'm definitely a thorough person. 169 00:11:32,180 --> 00:11:38,939 So, I had to do my research and I had to visit in person. 170 00:11:38,939 --> 00:11:43,769 That was always my criteria, and my parents were so supportive in that 171 00:11:43,770 --> 00:11:46,089 as well, which I'm truly blessed for. 172 00:11:46,089 --> 00:11:51,495 But, I'm such a feel, like, a It's just an intuitive feeling kind of person. 173 00:11:51,495 --> 00:11:56,445 Like my gut feeling is something that I certainly like to trust and follow. 174 00:11:56,725 --> 00:12:00,774 Um, so kind of going on to campuses was a major part of 175 00:12:00,775 --> 00:12:02,605 actually making my final decision. 176 00:12:03,165 --> 00:12:10,025 And TCU, I get asked this question and I, It's so random, 177 00:12:10,235 --> 00:12:11,975 is, like, the simplest answer. 178 00:12:12,005 --> 00:12:14,245 Like, I have no family in Texas. 179 00:12:14,555 --> 00:12:20,595 The only connection I had was, yeah, the only connection I had was my mom's 180 00:12:20,615 --> 00:12:25,305 best friend went there, and she just casually mentioned that she'd think that 181 00:12:25,334 --> 00:12:32,795 I would enjoy it, um, and so I ended up visiting, and I was really looking... 182 00:12:33,065 --> 00:12:37,760 My two top schools at the end of the day ended up being TCU and SMU, which are 183 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:40,310 both based here in Dallas, the DFW area. 184 00:12:40,700 --> 00:12:44,870 Uh, so again, not really sure why that they both happened to be here. 185 00:12:44,870 --> 00:12:49,509 I guess it was just meant to be, but they both had really good business 186 00:12:49,510 --> 00:12:56,319 programs and fashion programs, and that was where My mind was going, uh, 187 00:12:56,420 --> 00:12:57,780 looking for a college and an edu... 188 00:12:58,120 --> 00:12:59,250 further education. 189 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:04,810 And that was definitely, uh, influenced by my family, my dad. 190 00:13:05,305 --> 00:13:09,755 Uh, was the one certainly encouraging me to also get that business, 191 00:13:09,935 --> 00:13:12,944 uh, degree along with my fashion. 192 00:13:13,074 --> 00:13:17,554 He thought that that would be very helpful just in career pursual 193 00:13:17,914 --> 00:13:19,875 down the line and I totally agreed. 194 00:13:19,885 --> 00:13:23,694 So, um, my first initiative was to find good business schools 195 00:13:23,695 --> 00:13:26,025 that had also a fashion program. 196 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:33,870 And so, I ended up applying to TCU and got in early action, I believe, 197 00:13:33,980 --> 00:13:36,530 and I applied for the business school. 198 00:13:36,540 --> 00:13:45,720 So, my first line was that BBA in Marketing, and then once I got in with 199 00:13:45,730 --> 00:13:48,650 that, it wasn't until freshman year. 200 00:13:48,995 --> 00:13:55,065 that I spoke with a career counselor and showed them that I had this passion for 201 00:13:55,065 --> 00:14:00,644 fashion and certainly wanted to do some combination of it and I really worked 202 00:14:00,644 --> 00:14:06,235 with their career counselors to make that work because it's actually not very common 203 00:14:06,235 --> 00:14:13,314 to do two completely separate majors all in four years, uh, just time wise. 204 00:14:13,994 --> 00:14:19,415 It's a lot easier to do two majors within the same department, um, right, right. 205 00:14:19,805 --> 00:14:20,305 Yeah. 206 00:14:20,305 --> 00:14:23,474 And so it was certainly a struggle at first. 207 00:14:23,474 --> 00:14:27,354 And there was times freshman year where I had no idea if I was even 208 00:14:27,354 --> 00:14:29,024 going to be able to make it work. 209 00:14:30,095 --> 00:14:36,605 But I was definitely dead set on it, and I think that drive helped me in 210 00:14:36,605 --> 00:14:40,354 the end in just continuing to pursue it, because I did speak to certain 211 00:14:40,355 --> 00:14:44,424 counselors who said, like, this is not going to be feasible, and I didn't want 212 00:14:44,424 --> 00:14:48,234 to take a longer term to get the degrees. 213 00:14:48,254 --> 00:14:49,734 I didn't want to go past four years. 214 00:14:49,734 --> 00:14:51,824 I really just wanted to be able to get it done. 215 00:14:52,094 --> 00:14:53,954 Um, in that time period. 216 00:14:54,284 --> 00:15:01,214 And so what ended up happening was I had to create my own four 217 00:15:01,214 --> 00:15:05,144 year plan with the assistance of the counselors and my family. 218 00:15:05,184 --> 00:15:10,770 Um, but We had to place all the different classes, figure out how it would work, 219 00:15:10,780 --> 00:15:16,829 because it's honestly very complex when classes are available, like what semester, 220 00:15:16,889 --> 00:15:21,409 especially with fashion, it being a smaller program than the business school. 221 00:15:21,994 --> 00:15:28,185 And so, I, what I ended up having to do was take one to three classes 222 00:15:28,194 --> 00:15:33,915 every summer, um, and stay on campus, basically, instead of going home and 223 00:15:33,915 --> 00:15:37,764 taking that as a full break, which was a sacrifice I was willing to 224 00:15:37,764 --> 00:15:40,934 make in order to get to my end goal. 225 00:15:40,964 --> 00:15:43,175 Um, and I did enjoy it as well. 226 00:15:43,175 --> 00:15:46,754 They were often classes that I had a good time with. 227 00:15:47,044 --> 00:15:50,704 Um, And most of them ended up being my fashion based ones. 228 00:15:51,025 --> 00:15:55,355 I would say maybe one or two were business, but it ended up working out. 229 00:15:55,605 --> 00:16:01,024 And, um, I think I also had to add some extra courses during the school year too. 230 00:16:01,234 --> 00:16:06,004 And so instead of doing 15 hours, I was maybe doing 18, um, every 231 00:16:06,175 --> 00:16:12,065 now and then, but it was, it was something I knew I wanted. 232 00:16:12,510 --> 00:16:16,540 And I basically just had to figure it out to do it. 233 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:17,649 And so I did. 234 00:16:17,659 --> 00:16:23,309 And I'm so happy that I did because graduating with my class was such 235 00:16:23,309 --> 00:16:28,299 a good feeling compared to what I would assume waiting another semester 236 00:16:28,299 --> 00:16:32,459 and not being able to do that with my community would have felt. 237 00:16:32,810 --> 00:16:35,959 Um, and it was also just a personal accomplishment as well, just 238 00:16:35,959 --> 00:16:37,449 knowing that I was able to do so. 239 00:16:38,199 --> 00:16:43,299 But getting to the point of how I chose my. 240 00:16:43,935 --> 00:16:49,464 What the direction further, uh, with fashion was my family. 241 00:16:49,514 --> 00:16:55,764 I grew up in a very fashion forward family. 242 00:16:55,774 --> 00:16:58,454 Both of my parents worked in the fashion industry. 243 00:16:58,504 --> 00:17:02,164 Um, my dad actually founded his own company. 244 00:17:02,234 --> 00:17:07,845 Uh, he's from Turkey and my mom is from, uh, the U S and they met. 245 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,500 Working on the job actually, um, both in fashion. 246 00:17:11,500 --> 00:17:11,889 Yeah. 247 00:17:11,889 --> 00:17:13,690 So their love story starts there. 248 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:20,619 Um, and my dad's company, um, luckily ended up growing. 249 00:17:20,660 --> 00:17:25,239 And so both of my parents worked there throughout my upbringing. 250 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,239 Um, up until just about recently, they ended up retiring. 251 00:17:29,300 --> 00:17:32,580 But their company was based in Turkey. 252 00:17:32,669 --> 00:17:35,129 Um, it was a full service. 253 00:17:35,870 --> 00:17:38,629 Best way I like to describe it as like a full service apparel 254 00:17:38,639 --> 00:17:41,850 sourcing and production agency. 255 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:50,239 Um, so they worked with a handful of well known brands, um, and really 256 00:17:50,249 --> 00:17:54,615 provided, At the end of the day, like trend research, product development, 257 00:17:55,255 --> 00:17:58,885 sourcing, production, he had, my dad had really close connections 258 00:17:58,885 --> 00:18:00,565 with the factories based there. 259 00:18:00,854 --> 00:18:05,795 Um, and growing up, they wanted me to be raised in America. 260 00:18:05,844 --> 00:18:10,635 And so that was when we made that switch from living in Turkey to California. 261 00:18:10,684 --> 00:18:12,575 Um, at a young age, I was about four. 262 00:18:12,575 --> 00:18:15,635 So I barely remember that, but I'll never forget. 263 00:18:16,004 --> 00:18:19,395 Um, because I do really appreciate their consideration for me. 264 00:18:20,175 --> 00:18:21,004 And. 265 00:18:21,430 --> 00:18:26,280 Growing up, though, they were able to continue That company 266 00:18:26,450 --> 00:18:29,940 based there with other family members leading it on the ground. 267 00:18:29,950 --> 00:18:35,310 And then my parents opening a marketing branch here in California. 268 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:39,140 So I was surrounded by fashion. 269 00:18:39,140 --> 00:18:41,059 There was always samples in the house. 270 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:44,250 My dad, when friends would come over, he'd hand them out. 271 00:18:44,250 --> 00:18:47,060 And it was such a fun thing as a kid to see, you know, just 272 00:18:47,060 --> 00:18:48,370 playing around with clothes. 273 00:18:49,740 --> 00:18:54,960 And then I also was able to travel with them, which is what their 274 00:18:54,970 --> 00:19:00,180 new roles entailed, um, with marketing and connections with 275 00:19:00,209 --> 00:19:02,569 different companies and vendors. 276 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,210 And it was all based in Europe. 277 00:19:04,289 --> 00:19:11,129 Um, so from a young age, I was able to travel around, um, to so many countries. 278 00:19:11,129 --> 00:19:12,219 Like, probably, probably, probably. 279 00:19:12,899 --> 00:19:15,700 13 by the time I was in high school. 280 00:19:15,980 --> 00:19:22,129 Um, yeah, and I think that's something I'll forever be grateful for, uh, from 281 00:19:22,129 --> 00:19:26,290 such a young age to be exposed to so many different cultures and people, 282 00:19:26,689 --> 00:19:34,225 um, work ethic and, At the time, I certainly didn't understand it, I 283 00:19:34,225 --> 00:19:36,275 would say, up to a certain extent. 284 00:19:36,485 --> 00:19:41,244 And then there was a moment where it shifted and I began to become a lot 285 00:19:41,244 --> 00:19:45,175 more interested in the actual business side of it, where I would actually sit 286 00:19:45,175 --> 00:19:52,115 in on meetings, um, and participate to an extent that certainly shaped my 287 00:19:52,125 --> 00:19:54,535 interest in fashion moving forward. 288 00:19:55,940 --> 00:20:03,050 Oh, well, it just sounds like growing up you had such a just rich experience 289 00:20:03,050 --> 00:20:11,090 being able to watch your family and all of their entrepreneurship and 290 00:20:11,620 --> 00:20:17,090 You clearly have this kind of love for design and fashion in your genes. 291 00:20:17,090 --> 00:20:19,560 I certainly do. 292 00:20:19,590 --> 00:20:23,370 I would be that person just playing around in like high heels 293 00:20:23,370 --> 00:20:26,760 in my closet from like age four. 294 00:20:27,059 --> 00:20:31,545 Um, and then also, I feel like it's so easily translates to 295 00:20:31,955 --> 00:20:36,705 another interest of mine, which is interior design, um, and decorating. 296 00:20:36,995 --> 00:20:42,394 And I was constantly rearranging my rooms, like moving my bed. 297 00:20:42,695 --> 00:20:47,014 And when I've got, as I've gotten older and connected with my parents a lot more 298 00:20:47,014 --> 00:20:49,760 on more personal, you know, adult level. 299 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:50,090 Yeah. 300 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:56,000 So many of the things that I did and I was interested in intuitively were things that 301 00:20:56,470 --> 00:20:58,830 matched what they did as a younger age. 302 00:20:58,830 --> 00:21:02,419 And my mom was like, I did the exact same thing as a kid. 303 00:21:02,990 --> 00:21:05,479 And I'm just like, oh, like we are real. 304 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:09,229 I truly am like a product of them in the best ways possible. 305 00:21:09,239 --> 00:21:12,059 So it's been fun. 306 00:21:12,230 --> 00:21:22,190 It seems like you also really, um, kind of soaked in this work ethic that you 307 00:21:22,190 --> 00:21:30,790 spoke to also, um, possibly because you were growing up around them working. 308 00:21:30,799 --> 00:21:38,449 And I'm sure as a, um, married couple working together that, 309 00:21:38,530 --> 00:21:40,190 you know, it was just part of. 310 00:21:40,430 --> 00:21:45,960 The in and out of daily life, you know, there was no nine to five, right? 311 00:21:46,030 --> 00:21:49,490 It was part of everything. 312 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:55,419 It's so weird going up now and realizing that because I only know my parents 313 00:21:55,420 --> 00:22:01,200 working from home and I'm so grateful for that, honestly, because it gave me such 314 00:22:01,485 --> 00:22:07,035 a greater opportunity to be around them and also in a professional way, like you 315 00:22:07,035 --> 00:22:11,005 said, learn from their work ethic and actually see it firsthand, which I feel 316 00:22:11,005 --> 00:22:16,555 like a lot of kids aren't able to for when they grow up with parents who go 317 00:22:16,555 --> 00:22:19,904 into a job and they're not able to really see the ins and outs of how it works. 318 00:22:20,185 --> 00:22:23,615 So that is a great point and something I'm actually kind of just now 319 00:22:23,615 --> 00:22:24,705 understanding a little bit better. 320 00:22:24,715 --> 00:22:25,835 That makes a lot of sense. 321 00:22:26,300 --> 00:22:27,570 Yes, yes. 322 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:32,929 And I'm glad that you have the opportunity to work from home also. 323 00:22:32,930 --> 00:22:34,780 Yeah, I know. 324 00:22:36,290 --> 00:22:37,760 Which is such a blessing. 325 00:22:37,770 --> 00:22:41,509 And I mean, that's also come along from COVID of course. 326 00:22:41,509 --> 00:22:46,370 I think the company, um, I started with the company post COVID since I 327 00:22:46,370 --> 00:22:51,409 graduated in 2021, which is a whole nother thing that I could talk about forever. 328 00:22:51,409 --> 00:22:58,249 But, um, I started it with a remote position which generalized as a 329 00:22:58,249 --> 00:23:02,709 remote position, kind of hybrid, where I do have a base to go into here. 330 00:23:02,989 --> 00:23:09,550 Um, and it's fluctuated ever since, but I think, I think it depends 331 00:23:09,550 --> 00:23:11,069 on the industry at this point. 332 00:23:11,069 --> 00:23:15,975 I still think we're not 100 percent able to see the trajectory of how that's 333 00:23:15,975 --> 00:23:20,235 going to work, but everyone getting this taste of being able to work from 334 00:23:20,285 --> 00:23:24,575 home and work remotely, I feel like is really kind of creating this whole new 335 00:23:24,575 --> 00:23:26,784 dynamic with our careers moving forward. 336 00:23:27,650 --> 00:23:28,150 Yeah. 337 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:28,990 Absolutely. 338 00:23:29,260 --> 00:23:29,960 Yeah. 339 00:23:30,070 --> 00:23:35,070 And, uh, it's been really fun to hear, you know, this part of your story too, 340 00:23:35,130 --> 00:23:43,039 um, Digication, I co founded it with, uh, my husband, um, we technically started 341 00:23:43,039 --> 00:23:44,939 the business before we got married. 342 00:23:45,679 --> 00:23:46,200 Oh my gosh. 343 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:49,340 That was a little over 20 years ago. 344 00:23:49,340 --> 00:23:51,230 Oh, congratulations. 345 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:52,490 Thank you. 346 00:23:52,820 --> 00:23:55,720 And, you know, we've been raising our children. 347 00:23:55,739 --> 00:23:56,820 I think we. 348 00:23:56,980 --> 00:24:05,230 We went remote, I'm thinking it was about, it's definitely been over 10 years. 349 00:24:05,340 --> 00:24:11,570 It may be 13 years now that we made that switch. 350 00:24:11,850 --> 00:24:12,890 You're ahead of the game. 351 00:24:12,890 --> 00:24:16,200 We felt really lucky, yeah. 352 00:24:17,260 --> 00:24:20,909 So I had, you know, three young children at the time. 353 00:24:20,909 --> 00:24:25,229 We had our daughter and then 18 months later had twin boys. 354 00:24:25,970 --> 00:24:32,290 And we had started our company very young and had lots of young employees at 355 00:24:32,290 --> 00:24:36,639 the time and other people were starting to get married and have kids and some 356 00:24:36,639 --> 00:24:38,770 people wanted to move other places. 357 00:24:38,770 --> 00:24:44,155 And, you know, we were just like, You know, we want to keep you as employees. 358 00:24:44,195 --> 00:24:49,835 We are starting to need more flexibility with our schedule and, you know, 359 00:24:49,845 --> 00:24:55,674 balancing work and life and, um, you know, just like your parents. 360 00:24:56,250 --> 00:25:03,670 You know, we were kind of working, like, Digication was just part of our lives, 361 00:25:03,670 --> 00:25:08,660 it wasn't just our job, you know, it still is, and, um, you know, we were 362 00:25:08,660 --> 00:25:11,434 like, let's just try this, you know? 363 00:25:11,434 --> 00:25:15,730 We stopped having a physical office and people started working from home. 364 00:25:16,295 --> 00:25:18,205 There was a lot of Skype at the time. 365 00:25:18,225 --> 00:25:20,285 I'm really glad that things have evolved. 366 00:25:22,195 --> 00:25:26,785 Yeah, I remember Skyping because I had so much family overseas, so we would 367 00:25:26,785 --> 00:25:32,745 use that platform all the time, all the time, but yeah, Zoom's become our new 368 00:25:32,755 --> 00:25:35,815 go to, but now maybe Zencaster can be. 369 00:25:36,385 --> 00:25:41,895 Well, Zencaster's great for podcasts, but yes, we love Zoom and Slack 370 00:25:41,895 --> 00:25:46,675 and, you know, all those things, so it's been, you know, it's been an 371 00:25:46,685 --> 00:25:52,260 evolution for sure, but I, you know, we're always hoping that our Children 372 00:25:52,260 --> 00:25:54,220 kind of have that same experience. 373 00:25:54,230 --> 00:26:01,820 They've grown up watching Digication grow up, so I'm sure they're picking 374 00:26:01,820 --> 00:26:06,279 up on things that they may not even realize, um, but it's, it's 375 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,659 definitely been, uh, really fun. 376 00:26:08,679 --> 00:26:13,749 So it's fun to hear your perspective too, some overlap, and I'm sure you've 377 00:26:13,749 --> 00:26:19,000 got extraordinary Parents, you know, they took that leap to come to the U. 378 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:19,530 S. 379 00:26:19,540 --> 00:26:26,189 to start building out things here with already having some success in Turkey. 380 00:26:26,190 --> 00:26:28,310 And that's a, it's a, that's a brave thing. 381 00:26:28,839 --> 00:26:29,740 Oh, yeah. 382 00:26:30,910 --> 00:26:33,620 And it sounds like it worked out really well. 383 00:26:33,999 --> 00:26:35,439 Yeah, luckily it did. 384 00:26:35,439 --> 00:26:36,629 And I'm so proud of them. 385 00:26:36,629 --> 00:26:40,689 And as I'm here now, kind of just starting off my career, I am. 386 00:26:41,020 --> 00:26:45,240 Taking more and more inspiration from it because I mean, there's so many things 387 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:50,010 I can go through your head of like where you want to go with what you're doing 388 00:26:50,010 --> 00:26:51,809 and trying to figure out that path. 389 00:26:51,809 --> 00:26:55,819 And do you want to, do I want to continue working in a corporate nine to five kind 390 00:26:55,820 --> 00:27:00,779 of job, even though there's flexibility, or do I want to create my own company 391 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:02,610 and follow in my family's footsteps? 392 00:27:02,650 --> 00:27:05,410 Um, and we'll kind of just, time will tell on that one. 393 00:27:05,410 --> 00:27:06,620 We'll see where I end up. 394 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:09,330 But yeah, well, I hope I can stay in touch. 395 00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:12,940 I would love to know, you know, it just sounds like you're 396 00:27:12,940 --> 00:27:15,100 on a beautiful trajectory. 397 00:27:15,210 --> 00:27:17,129 And I just, I love that. 398 00:27:17,449 --> 00:27:21,640 Here's a preview of what's coming up next in part two of my conversation 399 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,819 with Kaitlyn Coskun, a recent graduate of Texas Christian University. 400 00:27:26,849 --> 00:27:32,890 The quote actually that I have on my first page of my about me on my ePortfolio. 401 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:37,330 It kind of goes in line with that, that there's really only Two things in 402 00:27:37,330 --> 00:27:43,110 life that are in your total control and that's your attitude and your effort.