Where is she now?: Katie Graham

This time of year is so often associated with the new.  For some people, it almost becomes an obsession: "out with the old, in with the new."  Here at Tri Delta, we are excited about all the new things in store for our chapter in 2014, but we've also made a resolution to commemorate the old.  That being said, I am so excited to introduce a new segment of the Delta Diaries called "Where is she now?"  Think of it as a spotlight for sisters who have graduated from the comfort of undergraduate sorority life and have taken on the "real world" full force.  These women are doing some pretty incredible things all over the country and abroad, and we cannot wait to share their stories with you!

Today's "Where is she now?" showcases a young lady whose influence on the chapter is still present today.  Katie Graham served as our president in her final year at Carolina and was the perfect woman for the position; her bubbly personality and compassionate heart made even the longest of chapter meetings worthwhile.  We couldn't be more proud of her accomplishments working at Urban Outfitters and are so excited to share her story with you today!

Katie (left) on Bid Day 2013 during her term as President

"Hey y'all! For those of you that I haven't met--my name is Katie Graham. I graduated last May and I served as President of the Alpha Lambda chapter back in the day (aka a year ago).  In September, I started working for Urban Outfitters headquarters in Philadelphia. URBN (the parent of Urban outfitters), consists of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain and BHLDN, all based in the Navy Ship Yard where I work. My title is Buying Operations Coordinator for bar, books, stationary and holiday. This means that anything you see in an Urban store across the country (even the one in Columbia!) that is a bar, book, stationary or holiday item is something that I created the purchase order for and communicated with the vendor who makes it. It's pretty cool to walk into a store and see the new items that we ordered in person!  My buyers pick out what we are going to purchase (they have an extremely difficult task to pick items that align with our customer lifestyle) and the allocators take what we order and choose which stores get what product. For instance, since Columbia is a college town, there will be merchandise in there to match a student price point as well as a heavier volume of bar items.

It definitely wasn't easy to land a job at Urban. At first, I applied to 3 different jobs there online and got rejected--ouch! So, I created a profile in their database and started looking into other options. It was at the end of August when I got an email from an Urban recruiter telling me she came across my background and would like to set me up to interview for a buying operations position. I was thrilled--but didn't get my hopes up. I figured at best I would get great interview practice under my belt. I interviewed with 6 people over a 3 hour period. The last guy to interview me is the Executive Direct of Allocation and Planning (my boss', boss' boss)... no pressure. When he walked in, he laughed and said, "Man, you really do look like the president of a sorority." Seeing as this company is full of "cool hipsters" who would shun the stereotypes of "norts and frocket tees," I knew I had to make a joke about it. I just chuckled and said "Delta Delta Delta, can I help ya help ya help ya?" He burst out laughing... talk about an ice breaker! I had to wait 4 days and got a call on a Wednesday offering me the position starting the following week. I accepted without hesitation and haven't looked back since.

Starting at Urban was challenging. I went through a month of training before I fully took over my classes (classes are the categories I cover, like bar, for example). When I did take over, it was right before the holidays, which is a very hectic time for any retailer. I remember my senior buyer saying to me: "Katie, our classes will have more business in the next 6 weeks than we do in the entire year, there are millions of dollars coming in. It is imperative that you stay on top of everything." *GULP.* (I survived).

Aside from the stress of working for such a huge company, Urban is incredibly fun. For instance, everyone can bring their dogs to work! They even have a little doggie park, dog costume contests on Halloween and dog photo shoots. It's amazing to walk by someone's desk and see their pup either sleeping on top on their desk or tucked under in their little bed. They also have a gym for us on site that is free along with fitness classes (like Zumba) after work and the cafeteria has a Buddha statue and a Koi pond (super trendy). There is almost always drinks after every big meeting, and sometimes even mimosas on someone's birthday.

Katie's puppy, Harper, at her desk at work!

The Koi pond in the cafeteria at Urban Outfitters

One of my favorite memories so far was the URBN holiday party. You had to donate a toy to Toys for Tots to get in, which I loved because it reminded me of all the great things our chapter did for charity when I was in school. The theme was "Winter White Faux Fur" so we all wore fur and the decor was ice. I danced the night away with my coworkers and we all came in wearing sunglasses and telling stories the next day. It felt like Friday brunch in college all over again.

Katie and her boss at URBN's holiday party

Urban has turned out to be an amazing fit for me even though I was initially worried about sticking out like a sore thumb... but I was pleasantly surprised.  Everyone is a free spirit and appreciates whatever you wear/look like. I tried not to flaunt the fact that I was president of Tri Delta because I wasn't sure how well that would "jive" with the personality of Urban. However, somehow everyone knows and loves to ask me about it. This one girl was just saying how she thinks it's "so cool" how I was president of my sorority and how I was probably "terrifying" like the sorority presidents are in the movies. I about died of laughter and quickly explained to her that we aren't like that at all! (Oh, the stereotypes.) The truth is that being in such a diverse group of ladies in Tri Delta has given me an ability to get along with all kinds of personalities. If there's anything I want readers to take away from this article--it is to embrace others' differences. You will learn more valuable lessons about respecting each other and finding common ground in your differences than you will in any of your classes--I promise. I think about how grateful I am to have had the experience I did with my sisters every single day. From the hot headed ones, to the party girls, to the nerds who'd stay up all night with me in the library, those girls all shaped me into who I am today.  Sometimes it takes graduating and going on with your life to realize the amazing things you left behind. All corny-ness (not a word) aside, as you continue on your college years, my one piece of advice would be to steadfastly love one another... I'm serious!

(P.S. If you want to see all of the cute dogs that come to work you can check out #UODogs on Instagram!)

Love you girls!

- Katie Graham"