Yelaine Rodriguez, Youth Advocate

Yelaine has just finished her final semester in the BFA Fashion Design program. She enjoys being around other art students, and believes “we can all get positive energy from each other”. She has studied abroad at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, and spent a summer studying at Parsons Paris, after receiving a scholarship to attend. After proving her capabilities as a Teaching Assistant in the pre-college class of designer Jillian Lewis (formerly of Project Runway), Yelaine was recruited for an internship at Ralph Lauren, and later interned for Oscar de la Renta. She hopes to establish her own line of clothes, and would like to be able to “join forces with the factories in the Dominican Republic in order to create more jobs there”, and would also like to teach a small knitting class. Despite all of her accomplishments, Yelaine will forever be proud of her Best Dressed Award, which she received when graduating from the Urban Assembly High School of Design & Construction. Regarding her work as a Mentor and TA, she 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.”