One University of Arkansas students wants to contribute to the fashion landscape in Northwest Arkansas through her personal style and entrepreneurship.
Paola Cortes’ zeal for fashion has been with her since she was young and has continued to be a huge passion of hers in college.
The 22 year-old from Cabot is a rising senior majoring in Apparel Merchandise and Product Development.
Cortes is one of thousands of hard working students who are helped by the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.
“It motivated me to keep up with my credits and then not lack on my GPA,” said Cortes.
In her case, she’s able to graduate without any student loans.
This makes her one of the lucky ones because most recent data shows 44.2 million Americans have student loan debt to pay off.
Since she doesn’t have to worry about finances, Cortes supplements her classroom learning with an internship at a local non-profit called Beautiful Lives Boutique located in Fayetteville.
It’s a thrift store that donates its proceeds to several charitable groups that help abused women and children.
These classroom and real life experiences have given her the chance to figure out her vision for the future: Opening a boutique in Northwest Arkansas.
“It’s a very competitive market without a doubt but I think if you have dedication, motivation, anything is possible,” said Cortes.
In fact, Paola comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her mother and father own multiple Mexican restaurants in The Natural State.
To learn more about the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, click here.
