Computer science major Amanda-Lynn Quintero ’19 is using data science to break into the fashion industry. As a marketing operations analyst for URBN, the company that owns Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People, Quintero is working in the customer relationship management (CRM) team, dealing with customer-related data to optimize the company’s marketing and customer-interaction strategies.
Specifically, Quintero is handling customer data pertaining to the launch of URBN’s new rental program and brand, Nuuly. This service will open over the summer, and it’s the onslaught of data that will follow the opening that excites Quintero the most. “I’m really looking forward to post-launch when customers start clicking on the website, social media posts, and emails,” she said, “because then I can start to understand what is, and isn’t, working for them and configure changes in order to make their experience better.”
In fact, Quintero has been gearing up for the launch of Nuuly for some time now. Thanks to Haverford’s location, she was able to begin working with the company before she finished school.
“Haverford’s close proximity to Philadelphia really helped as it allowed me to work part-time for URBN during the spring of my senior year, since URBN’s headquarters are in Philly’s Navy Yard,” said Quintero.
Beyond its location, though, the College served Quintero well in preparing her for her position at URBN. By encouraging intellectual curiosity and confidence in the classroom, the computer science department helped Quintero recognize the importance of asking questions in all settings.
“Overcoming the fear of asking questions is one of the most important things I owe to Haverford, specifically to computer science professor Steven Lindell,” she said. “When I was a firstyear, professor Lindell told me he noticed that men in class always tended to ask and answer questions but that women didn’t tend to do either. This resonated with me because I was a part of that group of women and I had been dealing with this stress every time I entered one of my STEM classes (of which there were many). Every time I had a question, I would spend 10 minutes thinking about whether it was a good question or not, all the while not focusing on the lecture, and, more often than not, always concluding it was a dumb question. From that moment on, I thought it was ridiculous that I’d been limiting myself and my education. With professor Lindell in my corner, I vowed to always ask my questions, no matter how small or large.”
This support—combined with the opportunity to use her technical skills in the fashion industry—has helped Quintero develop the self-assurance needed to follow her dreams. Using the diffuse platforms of technology, she aspires to transform the fashion industry by decreasing the distance that separates clothing from technology: “my very, very long-term dream,” she said, “is to create my own sort of brand, product lineup, and/or app that combines fashion and technology.”
And now that she’s a part of the fashion world? The ideas just keep coming. “Working at URBN has already given me immense confidence in my passion, allowing me to freely think, triggering new ideas and thoughts all of the time,” she added. “Just last night I excitedly spent an hour at 1 a.m. thinking about this new idea for an app. Sure, my ideas may be bold and an enormous undertaking, but it’s the very act of being able to let my creative thoughts roam confidently that makes everything that I have done and am doing worth it.”
“Where They’re Headed” is a blog series reporting on the post-collegiate plans of recent Haverford graduates.