Yelaine completed her BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons in Fall 2012.
As a Parsons Scholar, she was passionate about pursuing a future in fine art, and she explored this interest through courses in drawing, painting, and animation, among others. However, after she was exposed to fashion-related projects as a Parsons freshman, she chose to major in fashion.
Throughout her years at Parsons, Yelaine worked as a mentor for the Parsons Scholars Program, regularly providing individual tutoring for students with fashion interests. As a teaching assistant for the Pre-College Academy, which provides the overarching framework for scholars’ classes, Yelaine developed an extremely productive relationship with the instructor Jillian Lewis (Project Runway finalist from Season 4), which led to an internship at Ralph Lauren Rugby, where Jillian held a design position. During her time there, Yelaine helped to coordinate a visit for a group of scholars to tour the design studio and meet Ralph Lauren himself. She has also interned at Oscar de la Renta and assisted at Milk Studios during Fashion Week.
In her own words, Yelaine says: “I enjoy teaching. I appreciate the help that was given to me [as a Scholar] and I think it only fair to pay it forward. It is a great feeling when you are able to see the improvement in their faces because you took your time and gave your input.”
In 2010, Yelaine received the Anna Toonk Scholarship and studied photography in the Parsons Paris Summer Intensive Studies program. Later, she again studied abroad at Central St. Martins in London. Last summer, after completing her fashion credits, Yelaine was a resident assistant at the Altos de Chavon School of Design in Dominican Republic, where she explored a wide range of coursework in the visual arts. During her final semester at Parsons, she worked as a part-time manager at Stanley Pleating and Stitching, an opportunity which grew out of her senior thesis project.
Yelaine has secured a teaching position in fashion design at Altos de Chavon for the summer of 2013, and we look forward to what will surely be many future accomplishments as a Parsons alumna.
