Meet the team behind our student-run online publication, @SoFADaily
@SoFADaily is an online platform spearheaded by a very dedicated team of student leaders. Learn why and how they do the things they do and join us in paying homage to the creative minds behind this online platform that curates and engages the SoFA Community on the daily.
LEI ABANTO
Course: BA Fashion Design & Marketing
Role: Graphic Designer
I have joined multiple organizations and student-led groups in the past with the goal to hone my design skills and to learn how to effectively communicate with other people. Therefore, when I saw SoFA Daily open their member applications last September 2020, I took the chance and applied as a Graphic Designer. As a fashion student and a current member of SoFA Daily, this student-led community enabled me to enhance my time management skills and helped me become more emphatic with the people around me. I aim to continuously utilize my skills to make the SoFA community better - to share my knowledge with others through the platform, and to create an impact on others as much as possible.
NIKKA BAÑAGA
Course: BA Fashion Design & Marketing
Role: Graphic Designer
As someone who has never been to the SoFA campus, I was clueless as to how things worked with the students. When I saw that SoFA Daily was open for applications, I immediately took the opportunity to become a member of the team. I thought that joining SoFA Daily would help me socialize, and virtually meet the people who I was supposed to meet if it weren’t for the pandemic. This team helped me build a sense of teamwork, and to manage my time properly. I was also able to get a glimpse into the lives of my fellow students through the designs that they tag the team on when they post on social media. Being a student and being a part of this team isn’t easy, but I can say that I really enjoyed it, and that I’ll always choose to stay on.
SAMANTHA BELL
Course: BS Interior Design
Role: President
I started SoFA Daily as part of the Student Council initiative to create more student led communities and events. SoFA Daily became my “baby” and has taken years for me to develop and nurture it into what it is today. Years of trial and error to not only understand how to be a leader but also how to create something that matters to the SoFA community. Balancing being a student and being a leader came naturally to me, I value the achievements I obtain outside the classroom and have loved seeing the positive impact small changes have created within the community. As a soon graduating student, I hope SoFA Daily continues to sustain, evolve, and create more student-led initiatives and continues to push the boundaries of what it means to be a student leader.
GERALD FAROFALDANE
Course: BA Fashion Design & Marketing
Role: Writer & Researcher
An empty glass of real-world design knowledge - that was me before I entered SoFA. All I had then was the passion and enthusiasm for creativity and design. The journey started quite crazy. It was tough but fun. Imagine - from doing technical fashion renderings either traditional or CAD, learning about pattern making and sewing, understanding fabrics, colors, trends and line developments, to diving deep into marketing and how to do campaigns. At SoFA, you have to study all of that and more. To say that I was busy is an understatement but then here I am immersing myself in even more work by joining the SoFA Daily team out of nowhere. Surely, it was an added source of stress because of the additional work load, but the most important thing this experience taught me is that time management is key. Through SoFA Daily, I found my place amongst a unique set of individuals who support and nourish the creative ideas of each member. I realized as well that I had so much "creative juice" to share and that I should never to limit myself to just filling up my own glass.
YENA REYES
Course: BS Interior Design
Role: Editor-in-Chief
I was first offered the position of Editor-in-Chief of SoFA Daily when the Student Council had only just started gathering students who would assist them in trying to build a more solid student community. Being a freshman at that time, I haven't really adjusted to college life just yet, and quite frankly, I wanted to focus solely on my academics. However, what pushed me to accept the offer was the fact that what I would be doing will eventually benefit each and every SoFA student and make their lives both on and off campus more fun and somewhat easier whether through the Halloween events we’d help plan annually, to helping promote student businesses. Despite being challenging at first, being a part of the SoFA Daily team was definitely that one factor that helped me develop the qualities of a student leader the most. It was through this team that I learned how to collaborate with individuals to bring us towards the same goal or vision I had. Through this experience, I was also able to improve other skills needed to succeed in the design industry such as good time management and effective communication.