I'm studying abroad to work as a costume designers.

Sa-Shai Daniels Start Date: Jan 17, 2020 - End Date: May 16, 2020
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Intern Abroad
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • City of London, London, England, United Kingdom

My Travel Story

by: Sa-Shai Daniels Start Date: Jan 17, 2020 - End Date: May 16, 2020
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Intern Abroad
  • Study/Degree Abroad
My name is Sa-Shai Daniels. I am in my third year at the University of Cincinnati where I study fashion with a focus on costume designing. This summer I will be traveling to London, England for three months. While there I will be working in the costume design field, giving me the chance to further explore my profession and grow as a designer. I’ve chosen to go to London because it is a city with a booming theatrical entertainment industry that I would love to bear witness to. There are so many shows that have come out of London recently that I’ve completely fallen in love with and I now have the opportunity to work alongside professionals within the industry. I believe that studying abroad this summer will help me to grow not just academically but in all aspects of life.

I have wanted to be a designer for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t till more recently that I found that my true passion was in costume design and the way it allowed me to tell stories through design. Telling my story has always been important to me, but as I’ve grown into a young woman it’s been other people’s stories that have guided me through life. Books have always allowed me to see beyond my circumstances. When I picked up a Harry Potter book I wasn’t in a small Ohio town, I was on an incredible adventure fighting off evil alongside witches and wizards. Fiction has always felt like a second home to me. With parents who worked constantly during the weeks, and sometimes weekends, it was late-night trips to the cinema on Saturdays that was our time to be a family. The local movie theater felt almost as comfortable to me as my own living room. And even now, all grown up, I still love it. The fantastical predictions before it starts, the audible audience reactions during the movie, and the inevitable conversation turned debate that comes afterward. All of us, heads together, involved in heated discussions over what we just witnessed. The language of storytelling was something I instinctually understood. Costume design allows me to create without bounds and explore every facet of my mind. I love weaving together visual narratives through fashion. However, the entertainment industry is not the easiest thing to break into. Through some extensive research into the costuming industry, I have found that it's all about taking every opportunity that comes your way because it could lead to another or it could be your last. This is why I am so excited to travel to London and actually be able to meet with professional costume designers, to form relationships and learn from them first hand. This is an opportunity that could turn into a wonderful foundation for my future career.

I am the child of African immigrants who left their country in search of new opportunities and experiences. Since I was young they have impressed upon me the importance of understanding the world beyond you. I remember my dad sitting me down and saying that if he hadn’t traveled he would never have become the open-minded man that he is today. That sentiment has never left me. Growing up, I always felt that there was so much of the world to experience and learn from. There are so many people that I’ve met who judge cultures that they know nothing about. I have been on the other end of that sort of judgment, and I know the sort of damage that it can do. Small mindedness is often the result of lack of exposure. I don’t want to fall prey to that kind of mindset. Instead, I want to follow in my parents' footsteps and explore everything that the world has to offer. London is one of the most diverse cities in the world. There I will be able to experience many different cultures and become a part of a more metropolitan lifestyle. Everything that I have read about and studied over the years, I could actually experience in person. The ability to travel, especially internationally, is invaluable to everyone. I only wish that more people had the chance to do so. I am so grateful that my school offers it’s students this opportunity. I know that I will learn so much from my time in London, and hopefully, it will be the start of much more travel in my life.

This summer will allow me to explore the world and the part I play within it. Travel helps us to understand what is foreign to us, much in the same way that films help us to empathize with characters we never imagined would speak to us. Stories have allowed me to learn about the world around me and now its time that I become apart of it and learn to write my own story. I hope that one day I can work on projects that help others to see beyond themselves, maybe I could even inspire them to leave their small corner of the world behind and experience something entirely new. I know I can’t wait to do it.
  • City of London, London, England, United Kingdom