FASHIONING A FUTURE

Recent College of Human Sciences alumna Caitlin Finger had a hand in everything as it relates to her experience at Auburn while majoring in apparel design and production management and graduating in the spring of 2025.

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The College of Human Sciences gives students plenty of opportunities to get involved between experiences in the classroom, labs, internships and a chance to join a variety of organizations — this undoubtedly prepares them for a career out in the real world.

With a passion for fashion, clothing, design and the ability to express herself freely — Finger found the apparel design and production management major to be a natural fit. Growing up with a creative mindset put her on a path to find Auburn University and the College of Human Sciences.

“My time here has been great, and I wouldn't trade it for the world,” said Finger. “This design program is so amazing, and everyone is just so close knit. It's definitely prepared me well because we get to learn everything from garment construction through the entire production process, which I feel like some design programs don't teach the whole process from start to finish and I think it’s very beneficial.”

In addition to classes, Finger was involved in the Apparel, Merchandising, and Design Association (AMDA) as creative chair and vice president, served as the editor in chief and senior lifestyle editor for SWATCH Magazine, worked on the creative committee and eventually became the creative chair for The Fashion Event and much more.

These multi-year experiences helped Finger grow not only as a student but made her well rounded, eventually leading to several accolades including being a member of the dean’s list, honors college, a winner of a “What I Love About Auburn Design Challenge,” a runner-up in the university-wide Outstanding ePortfolio Contest and being a member of Kappa Omicron Nu — the national honor society for outstanding students in human sciences. 

“I was involved all four years with AMDA and coming into Auburn I remember sitting in those AMDA meetings as a freshman and just being like ‘Wow, those people are so much older than me and so important’ and then that ended up being me up there,” said Finger. “I definitely did my fair share of getting involved, and I wouldn't trade any of it. It was such an amazing experience. In fact, when we had our last fashion event class, it was so bittersweet, because it hit me like ‘Oh, I don't get to be a part of planning the show next year.’”

Another crucial part of Finger’s Auburn experience was traveling to study abroad in Italy and Spain in 2023 that helped her complete a minor in business. Additionally, she also traveled to London for the London Fashion Tour for spring break of that year.

Dr. Karla Teel, right, served as a mentor for Finger during her time at Auburn.

Being successful can be a tough thing to accomplish on your own without the help and mentorship of great teachers along the way and Finger credits Dr. Karla Teel, Wrangler associate professor & apparel design program coordinator, and Dr. Annette Burnsed, senior lecturer & apparel merchandising internship coordinator, for being instrumental in her successes. Dr. Teel has helped teach The Fashion Event planning class for several years.

“The Fashion Event class is a really unique class that has helped me grow because we get to learn what it takes to put on an entire fashion show,” said Finger. “She's had a huge impact on me. I'm sure many other students say this but she’s kind of like a mother to us. She makes sure that we're all taken care of while we're learning. Additionally, Dr. Burnsed has had a significant influence on me and was a strong mentor throughout my time with SWATCH and AMDA.”

Rounding out her time at Auburn was Finger’s experience with an internship at American Eagle in New York City. A city that is iconic in the fashion industry, the internship in the Big Apple helped Finger put her skills she learned in the classroom to the test.

“As someone in fashion, New York is the place to be, so getting to see that part of the industry for the first time was really incredible,” said Finger. “I worked in the design office and the internship itself was really interesting, and I learned a lot. I got to work directly with the cut and sew knits team, so doing everything from t-shirts to tank tops, to knit dresses. We handled probably the most merchandise out of any department so just getting to see how hard that team worked was special. I definitely felt prepared from all my classes to do this. Everything that I learned at Auburn, we touched on in the internship.”

Finger planned to head back to New York after graduating for an internship with Lucky Brand this summer where she will work as a designer with the goal of obtaining a full-time position.

With that she will take her design and product development skills she crafted during her time at Auburn while cherishing a number of different memories she made in the College of Human Sciences.

“I think just being down there at 3 a.m. while we were all trying to finish our projects really bonded us as classmates and is definitely a huge memory. I’ll miss those late nights.”