Behind the laptops of 21 college students lie the real life spell checkers of CollegeFashionista. They know the how to defeat the serial comma, how to format brand names and the secret of life (which is clearly to know every grammar rule like the back of your hand). Our editorial interns are talented college students that hail from colleges and universities from across the country—and they know a thing or two about fashion, as well. Along with being Style Gurus, these Fashionistas/os know just as much about putting an outfit together as they do a STYLE GURU STYLE post.
So, meet the real life autocorrectors behind CollegeFashionista. Let them be a fashionable reminder not to use run-on sentences.
Eva Thomas
School: University of Minnesota
Major: Journalism
Year: Senior
Favorite grammar rule: Commas all the way! They are so important in making sure your sentence flows correctly. A misuse in commas can change the entire meaning of your sentence.
Your style in three words: Timeless, elegant and mod.
City you want to visit: Paris, France
The last book I read was: Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
Ursh Khan
School: Baruch College
Major: Corporate Communications and English Literature
Year: Senior
Favorite grammar Rule: The commonly confused words such as compliment vs. complement. It’s so easy to write the wrong word but when you literally read it in a sentence, it’s pretty funny.
Your style in three words: Classic, chic, all-black everything.
City you want to visit: Budapest, Hungary
The last book I read was: The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot
Kasia Kujawski
School: DePaul University
Major: Public Relations/Advertising and Organizational Communication
Year: Senior
Favorite grammar rule: The semicolon rule! Only use one when the clauses before and after the semicolon can stand alone as their own sentences.
Your style in three words: Classy, black, bold.
City you want to visit: Cape Town, South Africa.
The last book I read was: Yes, Please by Amy Poehler.
Andy Jackson
School: Delaware State University
Major: Mass Communications – Convergence Journalism
Year: Junior
Favorite grammar rule: The difference between their, they’re and there.
Your style in three words: Classic, Chic and Dapper!
City you want to visit: Tokyo, Japan
The last book I read was: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Seriously, can’t get enough of this book!
Ami Cornell
School: Mercyhurst University
Major: Fashion Merchandising
Year: Junior
Favorite grammar rule: My favorite grammar rule is that Fashionista and Fashionisto must ALWAYS be capitalized. It truly emphasizes the importance of the stylish individual that is featured, which is always why I find it important to point out this error to Style Gurus.
Your style in three words: Glam, classic and preppy
City you want to visit: Florence, Italy
The last book I read was: Death In Venice by Thomas Mann
Rachael Mayrose
School: Northeastern University
Major: Accounting
Year: Sophomore
Favorite grammar rule: The Oxford comma. I know that CollegeFashionista does not use the Oxford comma, but I love it. I use it in all of my essays.
Your style in three words: Trendy, Urban, Fierce
City you want to visit: Vienna, Austria
The last book I read was: Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller (Technically a play, but it was life altering).
Hannah Littlefield
School: Oklahoma State University
Major: Marketing
Year: Senior
Favorite grammar rule: Avoid run-on sentences!
Your style in three words: Versatile, vintage, fun!
City you want to visit: London, England
The last book I read was: Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
Shea Renusch
School: Oberlin College
Major: Studio Art
Year: Senior
Favorite grammar rule: I’m just a huge fan of the em dash—that’s some Emily Dickinson shiz.
Your style in three words: Artistic. Erratic. Enigmatic. That makes it sound a lot more intense than it is. It’s mostly just a lot of jersey knit fabric.
City you want to visit: Budapest, Hungary
The last book I read was: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Azania Touré
School: Smith College
Major: Art History
Year: Senior
Favorite grammar rule: A comma must precede a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, nor) whenever it’s joining two independent clauses.
Your style in three words: Minimalistic, eccentric, colorful.
City you want to visit: Havana, Cuba
The last book I read was: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
Katy Anderson
School: University of Mississippi
Major: Political Science
Year: Political Science
Favorite grammar rule: Always use commas when needed, never use them when they are not.
Your style in three words: Simple, girly, chic.
City you want to visit: London, England
The last book I read was: Bossypants by Tina Fey
Simek Shropshire
School: Fordham University
Major: English and Art History
Year: Junior
Favorite grammar rule: My favorite grammar rule would definitely have to be no serial commas! This rule always tripped me up when I first started out as a Style Guru. Now, it’s one of the first things I look for when going over my edits.
Your style in three words: Classic, but comfortable.
City you want to visit: Florence, Italy
The last book I read was: Ulysses by James Joyce
Melissa Epifano
School: University of Oregon
Major: Journalism
Year: Sophomore
Favorite grammar rule: No dangling modifiers—these are the best to read and correct. Ex: Flying over the African landscape, the elephant herd looked majestic. (I’m pretty sure elephants can’t fly).
Your style in three words: Black, white, gray.
City you want to visit: Grindavik, Iceland
The last book I read was: The Gay Talese Reader by Gay Talese
Rhesa Mae Bernal
School: Rutgers University-Newark
Major: Journalism
Year: Junior
Favorite grammar rule: Never use double negatives!
Your style in three words: Boho. Neutral. No in-between.
City you want to visit: Sanitori, Greece
The last book I read was: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Brisa Gomez
School: Florida International University
Major: Advertising
Year: Junior
Favorite grammar rule: Never use serial commas. There should never be a comma before “and” or “or” in a list of three or more.
Your style in three words: Quirky, playful and young
City you want to visit: Portland, Oregon
The last book I read was: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Alexia Morton
School: University of Massachusetts Lowell
Major: Journalism & Professional Writing
Year: Senior
Favorite grammar rule: Avoid alliteration. Always.
Your style in three words: Feminine, flirty, fun.
City you want to visit: Florence, Italy
The last book I read was: The Beautiful Room is Empty by Edmund White
Keishorea Armstrong
School: Binghamton University
Major: English and Africana Studies
Year: Junior
Favorite grammar rule: I will give you a compliment if you remember to use complement correctly.
Your style in three words: Unconventionally sporty-chic.
City you want to visit: Los Angeles, California
The last book I read was: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
Sophia Benoit
School: Washington and Lee University
Major: Spanish and History
Year: Sophomore
Favorite grammar rule: Since becoming a CollegeFashionista editor, I no longer use serial commas.
Your style in three words: Classic. Sophisticated. Fun.
City you want to visit: Barcelona, Spain
The last book I read was: A Circle of Wives by Alice LaPlante
Daniella Zoeller
School: Loyola University Chicago
Major: Advertising and PR
Year: Junior
Favorite grammar rule: Semi-colons! When used properly, they are amazingly effective.
Your style in three words: Edgy. Feminine. Evolving.
City you want to visit: Paris, France
The last book I read was: #GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso
Rachel Rosenstock
School: Indiana University
Major: Journalism and French
Year: Sophomore
Favorite grammar rule: Use a coordinating conjunction and comma to prevent run-on sentences!
Your style in three words: Spontaneous, bold, individual.
City you want to visit: Prague, Czech Republic
The last book I read was: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Ally Zacek
School: DePaul University
Major: Journalism
Year: Sophomore
Favorite grammar rule: Definitely the semicolon. I’m not entirely sure why, but I love some good semicolon use, even though grammar aficionados aren’t too fond of it.
Your style in three words: Minimal, casual-cool, classic.
City you want to visit: Marrakesh, Morocco
The last book I read was: Currently in the process of reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
Stanvall Taylor
School: University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Major: Communications
Year: Senior
Favorite grammar rule: I actually love that CollegeFashionista does not use the Oxford comma!
Your style in three words: Chic, Unexpected, Diverse.
City you want to visit: New York, NY
The last book I read was: Life of Pi by Yann Martel
