Christina Gerew

Hometown: Tom's River, N.J. Professor: Mary D'Ambrosio Class: Magazine Writing Takeaway: Having been passionate all my life for the arts, sports and working in the high fashion industry as a model, a career in the world of global fashion and journalism has always been my dream. I have my parents to thank for cultivating a rich desire to explore and experience new cultures and places. My mother was born in Saudi Arabia and is of Portuguese and Indian descent, while my father’s ancestry is a fusion of English, French, Canadian, Native American and Irish. As a result of such a diverse amalgam, I grew up with an innate thirst to soak up faraway places and cultures. During my second year in college I participated in a study-abroad program and homestay for four months in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, and I returned to Spain for an internship to continu my multi-lingual writing last summer. I was able to meet incredible people whose lives exemplified what it is to merge such rich history with everyday life, and this is what I find most authentic about the creation of expression through art in a country so vigorously full of life. While writing this piece I learned that human culture is innately symbiotic, and for me this has been most visible through fashion. I was thankful to have had the opportunity to make such connections with people who shared my passion for the arts.