Hi there, welcome back to Stylish and Starving at Twenty-Something! My name is Chloe Sekhran and I am your resident twenty-something blogger. I started this blog the day I turned 20, and I figured now that I am 24, I should provide a life update; a lot happens in four years!
When I first introduced myself, I was attending the University of Iowa, pursing degrees in Marketing and Dance. Well, now I can say that I am a proud alumna of the University of Iowa and have both a BBA and BA!
Let me create a quick list of some of my most recent life changes and then we can dive into them a little more:
- Got a new puppy
- Graduated from the University of Iowa
- Started a new career and traveled the country
- Experienced Nashville, Tennessee
- Moved back to Minnesota
- Currently: wearing a mask because we’re in the middle of a pandemic
We’ll start with a quick puppy update. My family got another Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in 2017, named Luna. She is the sweetest little munchkin and easily one of the most outgoing dogs I have ever met. Except she hates getting her picture taken so please enjoy this photo of her as a puppy.
We already covered the college graduation part, but that was back in 2018. So it’s been a hot minute.
For the past two years (2018-2020) I worked for my sorority’s headquarters (Alpha Chi Omega) as a chapter consultant. In this role, I had the opportunity to travel across the country and visit 28 college campuses. Oh, and I mastered the art of living out of three suitcases (see below). This truly was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and was the best post-grad job I could have asked for. I also met some of my best friends! Over the course of these two years, I got to travel to all of these states: Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. This role is still hard for me to summarize sometimes, as it was so multi-faceted. But among others things, I focused on leadership development, creating strategic marketing plans, conflict resolution, risk management and harm reduction and assisting chapters during the planning process for formal recruitment, as well as during recruitment. Being a sorority woman is something that has shaped my life unlike anything else, and I am so thankful for every opportunity it has given me.
In my summarized list, I mentioned that I experienced Nashville, aka my second favorite place on earth (Minnesota comes in first, obviously), for the first time. With the rooftops, live country music and fun neighborhoods, I seriously could not love that city more if I tried. But if I had to recommend one thing and one thing only to do, it would be to go on a party wagon with Off The Wagon Tractor Tours. Trust me, it will be the best two hours and is an excellent way to see different areas of Nashville!
I am now back in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and am writing this post in the midst of COVID-19. As we all know, this has certainly turned many of our lives upside down. But it has allowed me to pick up some new hobbies, including: baking sourdough bread (duh!), reading, running and going for 5+ mile walks with friends. Oh, and Hamilton just came out on Disney+ so watching that a million and two times.
Also a quick PSA: wear a dang mask, wash your hands and for the love of God, stop going to bars. Rant over.
As far as what comes next? I am currently in the job search process for roles in buying/planning/merchandising or marketing. I am super excited to see what life has in store for me next and am ready to start a new chapter of my twenties!
Thank you for reading my little life update, I am hoping to have more fashion, food and fun content for y’all soon! Until next time, stay safe and healthy and again, WEAR A MASK!
XOXO, Chloe
Stylish and Starving at Twenty-Something
Stylish and Starving At Twenty-Something 