On April 13, a representative from Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) visited Amador to provide students with an overview of the private for-profit college. It provides specialized creative business Associates and Bachelor degrees, as well as an MBA for students.

“Today I gave a broad overview of our school and the programs that we offer, specifically looking at film, graphic design, and visual communication. I hope students are inspired by this and start thinking about taking their creative interest and making it into a career,” said Julia Racioppo, a College Representative for FIDM. 

During the presentation, students dove deeper into the majors one could earn, like graphic design, visual communication and digital cinema. They also learned about student housing and college life at FIDM. 

“I learned that [FIDM] is not focused on one thing. They have a lot of broad subjects and special paths you can go down. I liked that it was an art school with the business side to it. I came into this meeting not really sure what to expect, but seeing more of it I am kind of getting drawn into it,” said Kaylee Fried (‘25).

FIDM makes itself unique from other schools due to its the state of the art education they provide. Students learn from world class faculty and gain hands-on experience and the staff are supportive and dedicated to helping students succeed. 

“Our school is different because our instructors are industry professionals themselves. We believe that in order to have the curriculum be relevant, our instructors need to be in the field everyday learning the information they are teaching and staying up to date with what the industry needs are. [It will help] prepare the students and have them be the most marketable they can be after graduation,” said Racioppo.

Many notable names in the fashion and entertainment industry (and other industries) have attended FIDM, such as Lauren Conrad and Jonathan Gitlin. They use their skills and knowledge they gained from FIDM in their careers today.

“My time at FIDM has given me confidence in my abilities. I have honed my voice and design style here,” said Victoria Wang, an FIDM Alumna.

Students interested in learning more about FIDM can visit their website.