Early in January, students from Lasell’s School of Fashion (SOF) took its annual trip to the National Retail Federation (NRF) Student Program in New York City. The program offers fashion students opportunities to tour corporate design offices, hear from key voices across the industry, network, explore career opportunities, and much more. Over four days in New York City, I took in all that the program offered, and I would recommend it to any SOF student who is able to attend.
Our first day began with a train ride from Route 128 to Penn Station. We got settled in at the New Yorker Hotel, then had the afternoon open for city exploration as well as corporate office tours. A small group and I visited Times Square, then later attended an event at the Kohl’s design office. At Kohl’s, we were able to explore the office and network with recruiters, who offered career insights and connections. Other students visited various offices around the city, including Macy’s, Nordstrom, Burlington, and more.
The second day commenced with the NRF Student Program speakers, of which there were many. All students in attendance spent the day at the Marriott Marquis Ballroom listening with rapt attention to industry leaders. Highlights from this day included John Jay (President of Global Creative at Uniqlo) and Detria Courtalis (Vice President of Sales for U.S. at Pandora). Key themes from their talks included self-empowerment, artistry, intuition, and respect for culture. Key themes across all speakers included sustainability and the rise of AI in retail.
The following day brought retail leaders into direct discussion with students through a round-table conversation. Touted as one of the program’s highlights, the Executive Mentor Experience did not disappoint. We had the opportunity to ask questions and learn directly from those in aspirational career positions in small, student-led groups. This was not an internship networking opportunity, but an experience intended to expand our perspectives through face-to-face conversations. My favorite was a conversation I had with the Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Walmart. From our conversation, I gained an understanding of how to drive positive environmental change through existing retail systems. After these discussions, the day closed with the NRF Career Fair, which was filled with brands from NYC and beyond seeking interns and full-time employees.
Our final day in New York offered the opportunity to attend NRF ‘26: Retail’s Big Show at the Javits Convention Center. The Big Show is an exposition of speakers, technology, trends, and more, catered to the retail industry. There were endless booths and stages to take in from the perspective of retail professionals. While this portion of the program wasn’t catered specifically to students, it provided fantastic insight into the inner workings of retail.
The NRF Student Association program is the perfect way to expand classroom learning through experiencing the actual retail industry. For SOF students, this real-world experience is imperative. Not only does the conference provide education, but it also offers networking and career opportunities that support students’ futures. I cannot recommend this experience enough to my fellow students.
–March 2, 2026–
