New Blog!!
I’m excited to be a part of the TNNA website with the addition of my own blog, called PiPN Lane.  I have never had my own blog before… so I’m thinking it won’t be perfect, but I’m going to try to keep it as interesting as possible for everyone who reads it.  I’m happy that this addition was possible and for me to continue to have an acting hand with PiPN.

I’m now an alumni of the PiPN program and also graduate from The University of Akron. During the summer of 2008 I was enrolled in the fiber arts class and also completed my internship this past summer with SoHo Publishing in New York City.  I had a great experience with PiPN.  The fiber arts class was awesome; I felt it was the perfect test on the limits and creativity for the students all in different ways.  When I first saw the schedule for the class, I held my breath for a second.  I thought the days would be so long, but once we jumped into the needle arts the days flew by and before I knew it the class was finished. We spent time working on our projects, helping one another, and also getting to know the professors and other students.  I don’t want to spill too much info about the class, for those who have not taken it yet, but at times I thought there is no way I could have finished everything, but I managed to and it felt both relieving and rewarding.  It was great to see the differences in each student’s ideas and creativity.  The personality of the students came through in all of the projects.  The opportunity to attend the trade show was also amazing and I definitely recommend it to upcoming students.  My experience with the internship was really one of a kind! I loved living in New York City for the summer and had a blast interning with SoHo Publishing. 

I graduated in August from Akron and this last month has been least to say, quite crazy.  I have recently received a promotion and I have moved to Columbus to be a manager at a Victoria’s Secret store.  This has been exciting and rewarding, but I feel like I have left my heart in NYC.  My goal for the next couple months would be to move back to New York City.  I’m in the process of saving money and looking for apartments for myself and a new roommate, who is also a graduate from Akron.   There is so much opportunity in the city and I feel like the world would be at my fingertips.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed about a marketing assistant position with SoHo Publishing.  For the meantime I’m continuing to do what most other recent college graduates do and I’m searching, applying for jobs, and hoping for an interview.   I’m also enjoying spending time with my family and friends, a promotion, and my new activities with PiPN. 

I’m  looking forward to getting in contact with other PiPN alumnae to see where everyone is at and what they have been up to since graduation or completing their internship experiences with PiPN.  I’ve have put together a list of topics to blog about, and one that will be in the near future will be all about PiPN alumni.  I’m hoping that some of the other alumnae will be interested in the blog and want to throw in some topics and blogs of their own. 
‘Til next time,
Kristi Schwechheimer