STYLE GURU BIO: Mary Shammas

Howdy, there! My name is Mary and this is my first semester as a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista! I could not be more excited to begin my journey sharing my love of style and fashion, and exploring the different opportunities that will come along with this experience. I am currently in my second year at California State University in San Bernardino.

I was born and raised here in San Bernardino, and I decided at the last minute that I would rather stay close to home to save dough for my graduate studies.

While going into college, I told myself that I was going to have to come out of my shell and involve myself in leadership opportunities, so what better way to do so than to join Greek life? So in my freshman year, I signed my very shy self up for formal recruitment. Four days later, I was at the bid day celebration for Kappa Delta sorority. This was the best decision of my life so far, because I have made so many lifelong friendships. As an international business major, I knew that building leadership qualities was going to be very important in order to be successful in my field.

I was a vegetarian for six years before I decided to go whole hog (pun intended) and became vegan in July 2016. Being an only child, I have always had a connection with animals because I have always had a small zoo of animals growing up. As an equestrian, I am constantly around horses and I love it. I have been an athlete my whole life, and equestrianism is by far the most rewarding sport that I have ever participated in. Being able to build a trusting relationship with a 1,500 pound animal is such a beautiful thing to me.

Today, I don’t categorize myself to any one type of style. Some days I’ll be feeling the all-black boss girl look, some days I go for bright prints. Currently, I have been obsessed with bodysuits and chokers because they just add a little extra oomph to your average outfit. I am also obsessed with little black booties. I currently own four pairs and I cannot seem to get enough. One of my favorite things to do with my outfits is to mix materials, and I embraced that here by pairing my ribbed bodysuit with a faux embroidered suede skirt with a quilted faux leather structured jacket.

The thing I love about style is that to me, the price means nothing. I get most of my clothes at inexpensive stores like Forever 21, but I style them to make them look a little more luxe. To be quite frank, I am a baller on a budget and I am more than certain that most girls my age can surely relate.

I am so excited to begin my journey here as a CollegeFashionista, and I hope that I can inspire at least one person to try something new and to be a style chameleon.

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