In the midst of Andrea Jung's abdication from CEO of Avon and a bribery scandal dug up by the SEC, I thought this is perfect timing to commemorate her for her accomplishments and not remember her for the last "mistake" she made. I read a brief biography about her and I oddly felt we shared some sort of reincarnative simultaneous lives. Yes, she's more than twice my age, but her early life felt vividly parallel to mine. The difference? Her story and success has unfolded and mine is anxiously waiting to be lived.
- She was born to Chinese immigrants // I was born to Vietnamese immigrants.
- In high school she was involved in student body and started as class secretary before becoming President // In high school I was involved in student body and started as class vice president before becoming President.
- She ended up going to Princeton // I ended up going to UCLA (not an Ivy League, but still for the sake of my analogy. . .)
- She planned on going to law school but took a detour by working at Bloomingdale's with the hopes of gaining an edge in managerial training before law school // I did not plan on going to law school but took a detour by working at Bloomingdale's with the hopes of gaining an edge before breaking into the fashion marketing industry.
- Her aspiration to be a lawyer diminished in the dust as she moved up the ranks at Neiman Marcus // My aspiration to apply to the Neiman Marcus Buyer's Program diminished in the dust along with the hopes of being in fashion as I went to law school . . .
- Two decades later and she is CEO of Avon and is known as the "CEO Who Wore Chanel." // . . .
Could it be that had the stars lined up for me that very week I was debating between going to FIDM and applying to the NM program in New York, or abandoning the fashion industry altogether and get a 9 to 5 job, I may have inevitably walked the same path she grazed? Had I let too many disillusioned FIDM students and a practical, realistic bf talk me out of a road ready to embrace my footsteps? That, I'll never know. Who says I can't end this anecdote with "Two decades later and I am CEO of ___ and is known as the CEO Who Wore Chanel" . . . we will time capsule this for a future date. 2031?
"when she instituted a casual dress day at the company’s New York City headquarters . . . Jung would opt for minimalist Giorgio Armani suits instead of her usual Chanel fare"
via http://www.forbes.com/sites/leahbourne/2011/12/19/the-ceo-who-wore-chanel/
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