Hailing from Ocean City, New Jersey, senior Shannon Oteri is a force to be reckoned with. As a fashion merchandising major, Shannon has experience in both business and the arts. Her leadership in both UDress and Gamma Phi Beta (GPhi) have prepared her to kick start her own clothing boutique, Shop Seasha.

How have your RSO experiences impacted your experience at UD? 

RSO’s were my first way of meeting people at UD. I was able to make friends with similar interests to me who I probably would have never crossed paths with otherwise. Especially when you are starting out your college career and completing a lot of basic courses, you can tailor your college experience and grow friendships based on things you enjoy. I started out by joining UDress and I have met so many amazing older and younger UD students from different backgrounds and majors, even though we all share a passion for creativity and fashion.

What was the process like moving up from a UDress member to Editor in Chief?

I decided to apply to UD and attend UD specifically for UDress. UDress is the student run fashion magazine at UD and it is incredibly impressive. I first applied to be a fashion stylist and a photographer. These were two positions that kept me busy but they were very worthwhile.

As a stylist, you are attending photo shoots, traveling to vendors to style looks, helping to pose models, communicating with models and team members, and so much more. As a photographer you are bringing these photoshoots and articles to life through the use of campus locations and props. I was a stylist for 2 years, then I was promoted to Style Director as a Junior. When an unexpected opening for the position below EIC opened and I was asked to step in, I was very shocked but excited. Moving up to EIC has allowed me to push the boundaries and challenge everyone to put their most creative foot forward.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face in this role?

One of the biggest challenges is probably organizing something around so many different people’s schedules. While you are a student at UD, your top priority should always be academics. This can be challenging, especially around exam times. To make this magazine come to life, there are many people that are involved and to find a date and time for so many schedules to align can be difficult but it somehow always works out.

I’m sure for all of your challenges there were plenty of rewards. What’s your favorite memory from UDress?

I think my favorite memory from UDress is probably just all of the amazing people I have met. Everyone has really had an impact on my college experience and I love to see everyone on my teams and the models I meet at photo shoots around campus. I also love the photo shoots because it’s exciting to see everything I envision in my head come to life.

What inspired you to join Gamma Beta Phi and run for the PR position?

Greek life was something that kind of intimidated me my freshman year. I was always very nervous to be around a lot of girls at once. In my freshman year I moved from a freshman dorm to an upperclassman dorm, and I didn’t have many friends at UD besides the people I had met in class and through UDress.

I decided to try going through recruitment as a sophomore because I felt lonely and I was interested in making more friends that shared a similar mindset to me without being in all of the same classes. From day one I always felt really comfortable with the people I have met through GPhi. Gamma Phi is a laid back sisterhood that supports empowering women and it has changed my entire college experience.

I feel like this organization helped me to gain confidence through the people I met. I have some amazing mentor figures that were in Gphi and I am able to be there to help others. I was interested in getting more involved, so I ran for an exec position (PRVP). It was a lot of responsibility, but it helped me to learn how to lead teams and manage budgets, while also manage my own time better. I also was able to work on an exec team and it made my experience in the sorority so much more worthwhile.

You also run your own online boutique, Shop Seasha. Was it intimidating to open a business as a full-time student?

So I started Shop Seasha in July 2019 after I didn’t get accepted to any of the internships I had applied for. I wanted to prove to myself that I was good enough and I decided to start this small online business as a way to exemplify that. Everything from setting up the e-commerce and social media, to marketing to shipping orders was what I spent every day doing. It was like I was working 24/7 but I loved every second of it. I realized the power of social media from this endeavor and I also realized the power of redemption. I really wanted to prove that I could do something amazing and within 2 months I had started an entire business out of my bedroom closet. It was definitely intimidating but I put my all into it. I thought it was a good time to try something like this because I am at a point in my life where I am able to reach an entire campus of people, plus each person’s personal network of friends outside of UD. 

In a typical week, what goes into running your own business?

Just about everything you can imagine and more. In the summer, I spent every waking moment working on Shop Seasha. From buying items, organizing photo shoots, editing photos, creating product listings, running social media, packing orders, marketing the brand and more.

How do you manage so many responsibilities? Any advice for other students?

Being busy is the best thing that ever happened to me. When I am busy, I feel like I can conquer the world. I get so much done, I prioritize my work and I hold myself accountable for everything and anything. I have earned Dean’s lists awards for my academics during the two most busy semesters of my life. I think that when you are busy, you know what you have to do and you know when you have to do it so you can work around that to plan time to study and see friends. I would recommend getting involved, paying full attention to everything you are doing and using a calendar to stay scheduled. I live by my google calendar app!

Favorite band:

I listen to everything and anything. I’ve been really into Mac Miller lately.

Favorite movie:

I recently finished The Morning Show on Apple TV and it is AMAZING! Highly recommend.

Best way to start the day:

I was never really a morning person but I always love sunlight in the morning. I love to open up the blinds on my windows to wake myself up!

Something small that brings you joy:

Dogs.

A skill you’d like to learn someday:

I think something I really want to learn is mastering a foreign language (specifically Italian).

This blog post is written by our Division of Student Life student intern Julia Lowndes.