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Meet Sophia: 

����ɫ��ҹ University senior, Sophia Daher, is already gaining real-world experience in the fashion industry. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she spent the fall 2025 semester in New York City as an intern for designer Christian Siriano while working to complete coursework for her major in fashion design and minor in entrepreneurship for non-business majors through the Ambassador Crawford College of Business & Entrepreneurship. Beyond her rising career in fashion through ����ɫ��ҹ’s School of Fashion, Sophia is an active part of the ����ɫ��ҹ community. She is a member of the Honors College as well as a tutor for the Academic Success Center where she assists students in statistics and fashion courses to support their academic journey. 

Life at ����ɫ��ҹ:

Beyond her work in fashion, Sophia is a member of the ����ɫ��ҹ University Honors College. Sophia credits many of the opportunities and experiences she has had on campus to the possibilities presented by the college itself. Apart from studying in New York City for a semester, Sophia also completed a study abroad program in Paris, France, to work further in fashion. When asked how the Honors College has benefited her experiences, she describes, “I've gotten numerous scholarships from the Honors College. It's helped me go abroad. It helped me when I was in New York with my internship. Overall, the Honors College pushed me to want more, but it also gave me the resources to be able to do what I wanted.”

Fashion Internship:

Her internship with Christian Siriano took place in the fall of 2025, from August through December. While the internship has technically ended, she has still been helpful this semester while assisting during New York City’s Fashion Week. While completing the internship, Sophia was assigned a range of responsibilities from sourcing fabric to cutting patterns, preparation work, and also, working with her supervisor designer and production manager Dani Thompson.

When describing how this internship strengthened her skills, she explains, “Being in a bigger company with extremely talented people and doing well there as well as being recognized for that also made me feel I'm in the right place and I'm doing well. The whole experience felt natural and good, which is a reward of all the hard work during school.”

She explained that her favorite memory while working in New York was always the fashion shows. Even though runway shows don't last as long as the creation process, she describes, “I would say the fashion shows were always just my favorite days. Fashion shows are a really big day and while the show maybe goes on for 15 minutes, it's weeks and months of so much work. So those were always my favorite days because of the preparation, the pieces being presented and experiencing them being shown.”

����ɫ��ҹ University has a long-standing relationship with designer Christian Siriano, creating valuable opportunities for fashion students. His brand focuses on luxury women’s wear, and is a fast-paced environment that highlights strengths and pushes designer skills to be better. While working in the fast paced environment of New York City, Sophia points out that, “New York is a different kind of environment, and you really, you have to hustle. I think that being in New York is a great experience for anyone. Interning there and anything you're going to do has so many opportunities. But you have to be ready for the work that comes with it, essentially.”  

The Future:

Sophia’s plans for the future expand past ����ɫ��ҹ University; after she graduates she wants to move back to Paris and continue experiencing the culture there and further develop her  background in fashion design. Eventually, her goal is to go back to school to earn a master’s degree that will further excel her career in fashion. Her excitement for the future continues to grow as she is ending her time at ����ɫ��ҹ University this spring, eventually starting to make a name for herself in the industry.

“Overall, this was a wonderful experience. I’ve learned so much, through working and seeing the possibilities of what you can do with fashion and how I learned about it and maybe being a part of it made me believe more of [that] I really can make and do anything I want. I've taken the classes, I've gotten the experience. I really see the sky is the limit now.”

����ɫ��ҹ the Honors College:

The ����ɫ��ҹ University Honors College is part of a long tradition of promoting academically talented students with a unique academic experience. The ����ɫ��ҹ University Honors College is an institutional member of the  and the . To learn more about the Honors College, visit the Honors College website.

Media Contact: Stephanie Moskal, smoskal@kent.edu, 330-672-2312