If you’ve made it this far, then you must be wondering why a chemist with over a decade’s worth of experience in cosmetics and fragrances wants to be a copywriter all of a sudden?
Well, you’ve come to the right place.
For the longest, I wanted to be at least five things at once. First, I wanted to be a ballerina and when that didn’t work out, I settled for a concert violist. Next, I wanted to be a traveling documentarian and then, after reading so many brilliant and mature Young Adult fiction, I wanted to be a writer as prolific as Stephen King. Then finally, I fell in love with Bill Nye’s brain, so I decided that I wanted to be a mad scientist. But of course, I wanted chemistry to be fun and made it my mission to work in the beauty industry.
I settled on chemistry and received my Bachelors of Science in chemistry from the University of South Carolina in 2006 and continued on to receive my Masters of Science in polymer chemist from the University of Oregon. While in graduate school, I’m completed an apprenticeship at L’Oréal and continued to work for other industry-leading companies like Unilever, International Flavors and Fragrances and then Givaudan Flavors and Fragrances.
At these companies, I conducted research for ethnic hair care brands, designed packaging for Axe, Dove and Vaseline and compounded fine fragrances with a senior perfumer for Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, Lancôme, Fresh, Philosophy and Bath and Body Works, just to name a few.
In 2020, I was accepted into the perfumery program at ISIPCA, the world’s eminent institution for fragrance professionals.
Unfortunately for my plans, this was the year that the COVID pandemic changed the world. It was also the year that I was hit by a car while riding my bike in Central Park. After the accident, I would spend over two years recovering. Because my mobility was limited, I decided to learn how to create short-form and long-form content for social media, copywrite and blog for wellness and spiritual influencers. While doing this, I rediscovered my love for writing.
I also learned how to paint with watercolors. Believe me, I had all the time in the world.
After taking time to consider, I made the choice to change my career, rather than continue to become a perfumer. I already knew what the fragrance industry was like, so why not try something new in communications? Life is too short to keep chasing after the same old thing, so I applied to the American University of Paris for a degree in Strategic Brand Management.
Since 2023, I have taken courses in global communications, simulated working for an ad agency, learned how to manage the finances of a multinational corporation and created brand stories using advanced tools taught by branding professionals. I have also taken copywriting classes understand how to use brand pillars to create a brand voice. And currently, I’m creating a brand book for branding a place.
This career change and move to Paris was probably the best decision I could have made to myself. Now, I can’t wait to test the limits by creating outside of schooling.
For detailed information on my work experience, please visit the Resume page or check out my profile on LinkedIn.