Heran Zhang, CCT ’25

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION AND WHAT YOUR ROLE WAS.

I worked for Forever 21 headquarters as a production intern. My role is communicating between the design and merchandising team and Forever 21’s global vendors. Some of my responsibilities include liasoning about samples between designers and vendors, connecting price tags with correct fashion lines through the Forever 21 system, organizing daily samples by departments and connecting them with the proper merchants and designers. I also track production progress by uploading data about fabric samples and design changes before they are approved for mass production. I also help with fittings twice a week to see how the samples actually look on the models and make adjustments accordingly. Based on these fittings, my team calculates the production costs and communicates the quotes to vendors. We then submit invoices and negotiate best prices. 

HOW DID YOUR CCT STUDIES INFORM YOUR EXPERIENCE OF THIS INTERNSHIP?

My experience at CCT has provided me with essential multitasking, communication, and time management skills that have been really helpful in managing my job responsibilities. This was something specific my recruiter was looking for in the interview process and I think the skills I’ve built at CCT managing my course load was instrumental in me getting and being successful in the position. In terms of one specific class, 5006 (The Fundamentals of Technology) taught me how to approach a specific organization through a wide variety of lenses, analyzing the company’s production strategies, motivations, and target users. Being able to understand a company from such a deep level has really helped me in communicating between different teams because I better understand the process. We attend different workshops (visual merchandising, marketing, networking, advertising, etc.) and getting to see the company from so many different perspectives is a practical experience with the research we conducted in 5006.

When I got this job, I honestly didn’t really see the connection between the position and CCT and wasn’t sure it was going to be a good fit, but I’m happy I applied because I’ve built skills that will help me in my academic and professional career. After joining the company, I saw the connection and discovered that my CCT background is the reason I am such a good fit for this position. My advice is to just apply for the job, don’t overthink it. 

HOW DO YOU THINK THE INTERNSHIP WILL INFORM YOUR CCT STUDENT EXPERIENCE?

I think the experience will definitely help. I have really honed my time management skills. We are a large fast-fashion company, so we’re dealing with around 800 daily samples, while also dealing with production tracking, product organization, connecting with different teams, etc. I feel like now I have a better grip on handling a large course load because of the communication and organization skills I’ve built in this experience. I had design experience before this, but working on the backhand of the process has given me vital communication experience that I think will help me as a designer communicating with different teams as well. Production is a difficult process that I’m happy I now have a better understanding of.

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THIS INTERNSHIP?

I found out about the internship on LinkedIn and applied directly through there. I scheduled an appointment with the Graduate Career Center before I submitted my application, and they gave me some really helpful advice and suggestions for tailoring my resume for this specific position. They helped me frame my previous work experience into information that would be both more eye catching for recruiters and more relevant for this job.