As a child, Olivia Andrew was already dreaming of New York City. She and her family would make day trips to the city while living in Delaware, and Andrew focused first on becoming a Rockette, then on starring as Elphaba on Broadway.
Her dreams evolved, as dreams do, but the Big Apple remained the goal, and now it is reality. Andrew has accepted a position as a communications coordinator for Ralph Lauren.
“Ralph Lauren has been my dream company for…probably the only dream company I've ever had, if I'm being really honest,” Andrew says. “I have always had so much respect for Ralph Lauren, from the timeless and elegant nature of the brand to seeing how they’ve displayed such consistent and strong growth over the years, despite the ever-changing retail world.”
Andrew graduated from the University of South Carolina in December 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in retailing with concentration in fashion merchandising and digital innovations. She was not only an outstanding student but also a leader, serving as a member of the Department of Retailing Student Advisory Board and as a sales associate and social media manager for Gamecock iHub.
Along the way, she also built relationships that would play a big part in her success. She worked closely with Department of Retailing Chair Jeff Campbell and Instructor Mike Moody while serving on the advisory board. While working at Gamecock iHub, she got to know Store Director Mike Watson and Store Manager Saundra Koesters.
“The best advice I could give anyone is to get to know your professors and people at the college,” she says. “They are awesome people, and when they know you and your talent and your passion for things, they’ll be willing to vouch for you. Having people like that behind you makes all the difference in the world.”
Another relationship that made an impact for Andrew began her junior year at South Carolina, when Vincent Dell'Osa, former president of Ralph Lauren Retail, North America, visited campus to speak to Department of Retailing classes. Andrew met him and kept in touch, and he eventually joined the faculty as an executive in residence.
As graduation approached and Andrew searched for her first postgrad job, she kept in close touch with faculty and staff including Dell’Osa and another contact made through them, Ralph Lauren Senior Vice President of Stores Sharonda Weatherspoon. All had her resume and knew where she wanted to be, and then one morning the call that changed everything came.
“It was my now boss, Ray, calling me and he said ‘I got your resume through Vince and Sharonda. We have an open role in the communications team and I would love to talk,’” Andrew recalls.
Her first interview followed, on the first Friday of February, and she impressed throughout the process. Early in March, the journey had its happy ending with another call, as she was leaving on a vacation.
“I found out Monday at the airport. I found an empty terminal, and when I tell you, I called my mom after that phone call and I was rolling around on the ground excited... so incredible,” she says.
Andrew said her time at South Carolina gave her the knowledge and confidence to be certain she will thrive in her new role, as well as to succeed in the interview process.
“I’ve had digital marketing classes. Fashion product analysis and visual merchandising helped too, because in my new job I’ll be using Adobe Illustrator, which I learned in those classes. I’m not building store plans or designing clothes, but I know how to use Adobe products, I have that base of knowledge,” she says.
She also values her experience in the Marnie Pearce Professionalism Seminar, required for all students in South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management.
“Learning how to speak professionally and conduct yourself in interviews in that class is a big thing. Throughout every interview they said that my professionalism spoke volumes to them,” she says. “Just overall learning how to manage projects throughout different classes is valuable too. I'm going to be managing a lot of different projects with different people in this role. Having had a chance to experience so much at South Carolina, from meeting executives to learning about professional attire. It all makes a huge difference.”
Andrew did not specifically seek out a communications role, but the sum of her experiences prepared her to thrive.
“It is funny because it's not specifically the fashion retail side of things. However, I felt like it was the perfect Olivia job after reading the description,” she says. “I feel like this is just right up my alley and something that I'm really going to enjoy and be able to make a difference in, as well as continue to grow in the future.”