I initially developed an interest in fashion through costume and dress, as a member of the campus modeling organization at my undergraduate level. There I got to know different fashion disciplines; all this has strengthened and intensified my passion for the fashion field. I was in an environment that supported creative expression, providing me with a new and different perspective on clothing as decoration. Although the group's efforts were collective efforts, individual growth in our creative processes was still encouraged. I took the initiative to showcase my creative skills in visual display with fashion images and presentations whenever possible, which led to my election to the coordinator position on the board. I was responsible for coaching and mentoring other members in modeling and fashion show production. My success in this position extended well beyond campus as I was asked to plan and coordinate fashion shows for retail stores, boutiques, and other organizations on nearby campuses. However, complications from an illness in my youth forced me to rest in bed or seek medical attention at unexpected times. I was forced to focus solely on completing my university studies again and later found work in social services and education. After encouragement and support from family, I decided to pursue graduate level studies and was accepted into a graduate program in Communications at the University of South Texas. However, my interest in fashion did not waver and within a year I started a modeling group on campus. I took up the position of coordinator again, but my period of university studies was short-lived, again due to illness, and the effect was a necessary r...... middle of paper .... .. fashion awareness in urban areas is subject to the vices of visual media that are committed to instigating stereotypical images of status and wealth. Urban youth are tricked into living beyond their means, thus establishing a false sense of entitlement and ownership. The representation of fashion then becomes a counterproductive social activity. In reaction, it is essential that people better understand how an image resonates within a complex set of contexts, processes and uses, not just an image in and of itself, through ongoing intellectual, cultural and critical investigations into the various fashion disciplines. of the fashion industry as a whole is an important cultural phenomenon. Within its historical and socioeconomic framework, fashion is inevitably influenced by infrastructures of power that lend themselves to analytical and critical thoughts