Erin Williams was rubbing elbows with celebrities and dressing super models while her friends were studying for tests and getting ready for Mardi Gras.Williams, textile, apparel design and merchandising senior, spent the week leading up to Fat Tuesday working at fashion week in New York.Fashion week is an industry event where designers display their latest collections in runway shows. Fashion weeks determine what’s “in” and what’s “out” for the season in various fashion-oriented cities like New York, Paris, London and Milan, Italy.Williams spent this past fashion week working for Allison Brod Public Relations, a New York-based public relations agency which represents three designers and several celebrities.Williams arrived in New York before fashion week and spent the days leading up to the festivities handling RSVPs and seating for the three designer’s shows and delivering outfits to celebrities’ hotels.”I would get an RSVP from  Jennifer Love Hewitt or Tim Gunn from Project Runway, and secretly, I just wanted to write down all their contact information,” Williams said with a laugh.Williams said once a celebrity committed to attending, it was her responsibility to provide them with clothes, get them a car, make sure their flight was on time, ensure their hair and makeup were perfect and confirm they weren’t seated by someone they didn’t like.”The celebrities’ requests are pretty pathetic sometimes,” Williams said. “But it was a blast.”Williams was supposed to be back sooner, but her bosses asked her to stay longer and work backstage and in the audience during the fashion shows.”I actually had to pull the paparazzi off Paris and Nicky Hilton and Amanda Bynes,” Williams said. “It was crazy. I was thinking, ‘I am their size. How am I going to protect these girls from these crazy photographers?'”Working for a public relations company was a bit of a change for Williams. At previous fashion weeks, she spent most of her time working the week before fashion week helping designers with the preparation of the collection.”I just wanted to get experience with all facets of the industry,” Williams said. “My focus is design, so I would love to ultimately design. As far as starting out, I am not expecting to have my dream job, and I really like event planning, too.”Williams said she would love to move to New York and work after graduation, but she is worried because it seems like everyone is getting laid off right now.Lisa McRoberts, human ecology professor, said the time Williams spent working firsthand in the fashion industry will help her find a good job.”It provides an opportunity to practice skills in real-life settings and gain invaluable experience and insight,” McRoberts said. “It will instill confidence in her, and help her to compete for a future position, as well as provide vital contacts.”McRoberts said the majority of fashion, apparel, and merchandising students participate in fashion-oriented internships in either their junior or senior year.Williams gained her first contacts in New York through the University two years ago when she traveled with a group of classmates to New York to meet the designers for menswear clothing line Duckie Brown.”One of the designers said they needed help dressing models backstage,” Williams said. “No one really said anything, so my hand shot up. I kept in touch with them and flew back to New York for fashion week.”Once in New York, Williams’ determination kicked in.She showed up on the doorstep of designer Jill Stuart with her resume in hand.They hired her, and she ran errands and dressed models for both designers for the next two season’s fashion weeks.This past summer, Williams got an internship with Jill Stuart and met contacts from Allison Brod while working there.”I just kept in touch. They kept seeing my face and realized that I wasn’t some flake that wouldn’t come back,” Williams said. “I guess they kind of grew to trust me, and that’s why they wanted me to deal with their clients.”Williams said the trick to good networking is persistence.”You can’t let them forget you,” Williams said. “You just have to keep going back and contacting them yourself.”Williams said she would love to work in Europe next summer but isn’t sure what’s going to happen after graduation. “I’ve found out how rewarding it is whenever you have an idea, and actually make it, and there is nothing else in the world exactly like it.” Williams said. “That’s what got me. That creative aspect really poked me.”——Contact Jack LeBlanc at [email protected]