Western Nevada College grad pursuing first love but has a backup plan

Writing an essay, swinging a baseball bat, launching a toy rocket, making your first pie, changing your first set of spark plugs. … You never know what task in your childhood will inspire you in choosing a professional career.

For Alondra Rodriguez-Patino, that magical moment came when she made her own Halloween costume.

“My mom was the driving force in that situation, because when she was younger she used to make clothes,” Rodriguez-Patino said. “That was when I caught the fashion bug, and it evolved into me making my own clothes and applying to the Academy of Art. That was when I realized I was more driven to make it as a designer than I ever even realized.

The Western Nevada College student is graduating this week with an Associate of Science degree. She had been accepted to attend the Academy of Art University in San Francisco along with being awarded an Emerging Artist Scholarship. But her plans changed, like many undergrads and graduates before her.

Instead, Rodriguez-Patino has decided to keep her fashion career dreams afloat by entering the Shein X Challenge with her current fashion collection. The Chinese company is looking for emerging fashion designers and will manufacture, market and retail the selected winners’ collection.

“If I'm chosen as a finalist, I could win $100K and my capsule collection would be featured in New York Fashion Week for the fall/winter this year,” Rodriguez-Patino said.

Her change of plans also includes remaining at WNC to prepare for a double major in physics and geophysics and a minor in renewable energy at the University of Nevada, Reno.

“Alondra is a unique student who thrives in the idea of taken on a new challenge,” said Lupe Ramirez, the founder and adviser for the WNC Latino Leadership Academy, which Rodriguez-Patino has been part of during her time at WNC.

If she is able to continue her fashion career plans, Rodriguez-Patino isn’t intimidated by pursuing them outside the country.

“High-end design is what I have always dreamed about because I have always been a much-more classy type of dresser,” Rodriguez-Patino said. “My taste has never been simple and neither have my designs. I want to have my shop set up all over the globe, so many women will be able to wear clothes that will make them feel confident in my designs. I want to be able to have my headquarters in either Paris or London, because I have always thought of my designs at Paris fashion week.”

Ramirez doesn’t doubt that Rodriguez-Patino will accomplish what she sets out to do.

“I am confident nothing is going to stop her from reaching her dreams,” Ramirez said. “I am super proud of this young lady! I hope her story impacts other women in Carson City, especially first-generation bilingual and bicultural students like herself.”

That initial encouragement and push from her mother has guided and given Rodriguez-Patino additional creative inspiration.

“My main inspiration was the great fashion house of Chanel and Dior, and my concepts have been larger than life and incredibly complex,”
she said. “Much like most of my past ambitions I have flirted with the impossible but always succeeded no matter how tough things got.

While earning credits for an associate degree as a member of the Latino Leadership Academy, Rodriguez-Patino has received local encouragement to reach for her dreams.

“It was about six months ago that I realized that I had what it takes with my current portfolio to get into the fashion industry, and it’s thanks to a contact from Burlington here in Carson that I even had the motivation to apply to fashion school. Dana Pierce who used to work with Betsey Johnson convinced me that my pieces were good and that I should take a chance at pursuing a career in fashion,” she said.

Just think, all of these plans and dreams started with Rodriguez-Patino creating her own Halloween costume.

However, it’s always good to have a backup plan.