Background Info! February 8, 2010

Feb 8th 3:23 pm

OK so you may be asking yourself “Self, why is this chick so interested in working for TOMS Shoes?” well I’ll tell you the story behind it. Its actually a short story, but I think its pretty interesting.

On Feb 1st 2010, (exactly one week ago) Blake Mycoskie came to my school to speak. Now, I had heard of TOMS Shoes before but I really didnt look into it so much. I just didn’t bother to find out the history behind it. But then I saw that the founder was coming to speak so I thought this might be a good chance to go find out what this company was all about. So I went to hear him speak and WOW I cannot even put into words how I felt once I left his speech. I was so inspired I felt like I should go right out and do some community service work. I felt like I wanted to be apart of this company like a year ago and I felt a little disgruntled that all this time this company had been operating and I knew nothing about it. I couldn’t believe I was so ignorant of something that was so awesome! I mean, this company is like the business embodiment of everything I have been looking for in my life and that is not even a slight exaggeration. I knew I wanted a job that was laid back, with cool people, something with a purpose and a cause, something that was about more than making money. A job that I could feel good about, a place that will utilize ALL of my abilities including my creativity and unparalleled organizational skills….. a place just like TOMS!

Then I went into freak out mode. I realized that TOMS was a very desirable place of employment and I might not have a chance of getting in. I found this thing, I think it was on their blog, and it said that last year TOMS had 4,000 applicants for 10 positions……. TEN POSITIONS!!!!! and this was a year ago! Im sure there will be 1,000 more this year! What the heck was I thinking ? How did I expect to stand out in a stack of that many applicants. But then I found the name of a person who is currently interning at TOMS, Sarah Walpert. I looked her up on facebook and we chatted a little and she made me feel allot better, she made me think that I could have a chance after all. Maybe my dreams weren’t so impossible as I one thought. Just to quote a small part of our dialogue …….

Sarah:  “I think it’s great that you are so into TOMS… you have to be to work here, because like you said, it’s reallyyy competitive. On that note, they have to choose someone, right? So why shouldn’t that someone be you?”

She was absolutely right! Why shouldn’t they pick me? No reason I can think of. As a matter of fact, I think TOMS and I would be an excellent fit together. They would LOVE me! So I started on my quest. The mission: become apart of the TOMS family. How to do this? Well get the internship for one thing, and the deadline is fast approaching. I have exactly 20 days to complete the application with all the thought provoking questions, redo my resume and have it reviewed by as many people as possible, and write an amazing cover letter that will make TOMS realize that they want me just as much as I want them. Well I have allot of work to do so I better get to it!

Carpe Diem!

-Alecia

Hello world! February 8, 2010

This is a blog I have created to track my quest to getting an internship with TOMS shoes. If you don’t know about TOMS you should really check out the site here, it’s a really amazing company and one day I will be employed there. Well I hope you enjoy the blog, it should be an interesting journey.

One for One

Countdown Extended…… May 3, 2010

So I’ve been getting allot of emails asking me about my application status so I thought I should let everybody know. I just heard from TOMS today and unfortunately I did not get the summer internship. I understand that they have so many awesome people apply and there just isnt room for us all but it still kind of sucks.

Oh well, I am off to my plan B destination for the summer and I will be applying for the internship again next year.

I probably wont be posting much over the summer because I plan to be really busy. But I will be back in full force as soon as the fall semester starts back up.

Until then. Ciao!

-Alecia

TOMS Blog April 26, 2010

Hey Everybody, Check out the new post on the TOMS Blog featuring my school and environmental organization (SAGE) on Earth Day!

http://www.toms.com/blog/node/824

TOMS @ Georgia Southern EARTH DAY!!! April 22, 2010

Every year the Student Alliance for a Green Earth (SAGE) hosts its annual Earth Day Celebration on campus at Georgia Southern University. Vendors and companies from all over town come together to support green living and and a healthy environment. This year SAGE’s Earth Day Celebration had a new and welcome addition. Merle Norman, the only TOMS vendor in Statesboro, came out to show off the newest line of TOMS Shoes. The students of Georgia Southern couldn’t be happier. TOMS Shoes fit right in with the theme of Earth Day especially with its special line of vegan wrap boots and classics. As the event went on a continuous line of students came by the TOMS table at Earth Day. Most of them overly excited to realize that there was a convenient location to purchase TOMS right in town. A Merle Norman associate brought out all of the latest styles that they had only seen online. Overall the day was a great success. TOMS and Mother Earth work well together and students cant wait to see what they will come up with next.

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What NOW?!?!??? April 18, 2010

Ok so now that the barefoot race is concluded and all of the One Day without Shoes madness is over, I find myself wondering, “What’s next?” Earth Day is coming up this week and my campus organization SAGE is having a huge event to celebrate the day. I have arranged for Merle Norman (the ONLY place in Statesboro that sells TOMS) to have a table set up to sell their TOMS so that’s pretty cool. We have some leftover finish line signs from the barefoot race so I think that we may have a couple mini barefoot races at the event. I’m not sure we will see how it goes.

Today is April 18^th, it has been 7 weeks and 2 days since I submitted my application to TOMS and still no word. However, they say no news is good news. At least I haven’t received an email saying “Sorry you’re just not awesome enough to work here.” I’m pretty sure that they do tell you if they have decided not to pick you so I’m not uncrossing my fingers just yet… or my toes. The other day I asked my magic 8 ball if I would get the internship and it said “very likely” so let’s hope it’s right. The school year is winding down now and there is no more time for me to put on any more TOMS events in this semester. I guess I’ll just have to continue to spread the movement by telling the story every time someone compliments my shoes…. which happens allot, especially with the ones from Style Your Sole.  It’s so strange to me because I have never really cared about anything as much as I care about getting this internship and it really scares me that there is a possibility that I won’t get it….. But I haven’t been denied yet so for now I will keep my head up and my thoughts positive. I know that I deserve this internship and hopefully TOMS will see that too.

Until next time,

Ciao!

Barefoot Race In The News!!! April 9, 2010

Ok so it seems that the barefoot race got allot of people’s attention. Not just on campus but in the community as well. Some news organizations even picked up the story which is so awesome! The Barefoot Race was featured in The George Ann, The Statesboro Herald, The Boro News, and several multimedia communications majors even came out to cover the race for class assignments!

Here are some links to the sites that have posted barefoot race coverage. I’m not sure how long they will be active so check them out quick!

The Boro News

The Statesboro Herald

The George Ann

YouTube Slide Show by theboronews.com

No Shoes Allowed! April 8, 2010

As you all know, today was One Day Without Shoes….. Today was the most fun, incredible, eye opening, painful, meaningful day I have had in recent memory. You all also know that today was the barefoot race that I have been planning for the last most and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

The day started off with me getting on the bus barefoot to go to class. I got a few looks from people who didn’t know why I didn’t have shoes on, but they would soon be in the know because there were so many people at my school walking barefoot! I couldn’t believe it. I knew that the movement was big but I didn’t think that many people would actually go through with leaving their shoes home for a day. Everywhere I walked there were bare feet! It was awesome!

My first stop of the day was to pick up the finish line signs for the race, after that I headed outside where there was a table set up for all TOMS supporters. People were decorating shirts and signing a poster to pledge to be barefoot all day. This was all so amazing but I had to get to class so I was off. After my classes for the day were done, many barefoot students came together for a barefoot walk through campus.  We walked from one end of campus to the other and back again. (And Ga Southern is no small campus) My feet were screaming at me so loud by the time we were done but I knew it was for a purpose so I kept walking.

After the walk it was time to prepare for the barefoot race. Thankfully the SAGE members helped me out with this part and we came together to have a great time. When planning this race, I didn’t have high expectations for the amount of people who would come. Of course, I hoped that we would have allot of participants, but I didn’t want to count on that too much and be disappointed. Well, I was definitely not disappointed today. We had about fifty people to come out to the race which was awesome! Everybody came together and we had a great time! I knew that the race would be good promotion for the One for One Movement, but I had no idea how much fun it would be. It was so amazing for me to see this event that I built from scratch come to life and be so successful. All week I was so worried that things were going to go wrong. Was it going to rain? Were people seeing the posters we put up? Did people care enough about the movement to come out? In the end it all worked out great and I couldn’t be happier.

Another great thing about today was my experience with walking barefoot all day. Before today, if you asked me I would have told to in a second that I would walk around barefoot all the time if I could. Before today I truly believed that statement was true. But now I am fully aware of just how much I need and depend on my shoes. I still love to be barefoot in certain places like around the house or at the beach but I now know that it is not an easy or fun thing to be barefoot all the time. Realizing this just makes the work that TOMS does that much more important to me. I feel like my eyes have been opened. Although I know that I still have no idea what it is like to live on a daily basis without shoes, I got a little taste of it today and it is not easy. Now I can truly understand the words “Life is hard without shoes.”

Ciao!

-Alecia

Down To The Wire April 5, 2010

Ok so were down to only 3 days until One Day Without Shoes and the barefoot race. Im really excited but a little overwhelmed at the moment. I thought that it would be no big deal to plan this whole thing by myself but now its starting to take a toll. Ive had some major accomplishments. The radio station will be there, the newspaper is covering it, Ive gotten all the supplies and the prizes all worked out. It just feels like a bit much to not have any support. I thought I would have my organization SAGE backing me up but I’m the only one that seems to care about it. Well…. that’s life, right? The good news is that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I’m racing toward it. Tomorrow I will continue handing out fliers and then Thursday will be here before I know it.

I’m also really excited to go barefoot all day on Thursday! This will be my first time doing it and its sure to be an unforgettable experience.

For now, I have to go hang some sheet signs on campus. Later!

Ciao!

Busy Busy Busy….. March 25, 2010

This has been a really crazy week! All week long I have been arranging meetings and getting together with people from all over campus to organize this Barefoot Race on April 8th. I’m so happy to see everything coming together so smoothly in the end. I have exactly two weeks left until the race and there is still allot to do.

Today we mapped out the track for the race with the people at the Recreation Activity Center. I actually walked it barefoot so that I could be sure that it would be too challenging for the runners. All in all, I think it is an excellent place to hold the race. At the moment my biggest challenge is to get the radio stations and newspapers to come out to cover the event. I think this will be the biggest task and the one that I will be most proud of when I accomplish it.

Overall this have been a very productive and exciting week and I am very happy that Ga Southern has been so receptive to carrying on the One for One movement!

Until next time…..

Ciao!

Dont Worry TOMS!! March 22, 2010

This past week I have been in Florida on my spring break but I did not for get about TOMS. All during my break I continued to spread the one for one movement as much as possible……

Showing off my Black Canvas TOMS on a Helicopter Tour of Orlando!!!!!

Representing TOMS barefoot on the Beach in Daytona!!!

Barefoot Race!!! March 11, 2010

OK,  So now that the “Style Your Sole” event is completed and thoroughly documented. It is time to move on to the next big thing.

This week has been a crazy roller-coaster of getting as much as possible done for the barefoot race before everybody leaves for Spring Break next week. I have done so much running around I am exhausted and there is still so much more to do. But every time I get something accomplished I get one step closer to getting to the completed project and it makes me so excited!

There is a long To Do List of things left to do but I am absolutely up for the challenge because the One for One Movement is something that I truly believe in and want to see succeed and flourish. Not only here in the Boro, but world wide.

Well, Im off to get some more things completed before I head to Orlando to represent for TOMS in Florida!

Ciao!

Guess Who’s in the paper? March 5, 2010

The article that I wrote about the Style Your Sole event….. right there in black and white…  

Style Your Sole Party @ GA Southern!!!! March 2, 2010

So today was the Style Your Sole party here and it was so much fun! I think I want to have one for my birthday!

Here are the shoes I designed!

And here are some other great designs there!

Also I reported on the event for my school newspaper….. here is the article that will appear in Thursday’s edition of the George Ann….

Style Your Sole

By: Alecia Norman

Georgia Southern students came together on Tuesday evening to participate in the school’s very first Style Your Sole party. This event, hosted by the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement (OSLCE), was set to promote TOMS Shoes and their One for One mission.

Students became excited for the Style Your Sole event when Blake Mycoskie, founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS, came to campus in early February. Mycoskie explained the foundation of TOMS and their unique business practice of giving away a new pair of shoes for every pair sold. The response from his speech was overwhelming, as many students were motivated to find ways to participate in the One for One movement.

Jodi Middleton, the Assistant Director of the OSLCE, stated that there were over 50 participants in Tuesday’s event with many students signing up as far as one month in advance.

“The students really enjoyed Blake’s speech and wanted to get involved. I think the students here are more motivated to take action than at any other school I’ve experienced.” said Middleton.

Style Your Sole is an event created by TOMS to encourage creativity while spreading the One for One movement. Parties have been hosted in all 50 states and the United Kingdom. Every Style Your Sole party is different and unique. Participants bring their imagination and various inspirations to create a shoe that defines their personality and helps children around the world.

At Georgia Southern’s Style Your Sole party, students were told to bring only their imaginations, as all of the art supplies and shoes were provided and included in the sign up cost. The OSLCE was able to bring this event to students at a significantly discounted price. Shoe donations were also taken to obtain the goal of giving away two pairs of shoes for every one pair sold for this event.

Participants came with ideas of all kinds. They showed off their styles with everything from peace signs to inspirational quotes to enhance the already stylish TOMS Shoes. One student filled her TOMS with statistics on poverty and disease around the world, to make a statement while still being fashionable.

Burgin, a Junior Finance major here at Georgia Southern, stated that this was her first Style Your Sole party and she now wants to host her own. “I love TOMS Shoes and the work they do is so inspirational. If buying a pair of shoes for myself can help a child in need, I say ‘Why not?’.”

Along with an evening of shoe styling, students enjoyed music from Do Good DJs and artistic help from members of the Art Guild.

Middleton stated that she was happy with the turnout and hopes to make this a regular event here at Georgia Southern.

Mycoskie’s visit had a significant impact on Georgia Southern students and many people have been affected as a result. Style Your Sole is just the first event on campus to promote the One for One movement. Upcoming events include a barefoot race hosted by the Student Alliance for a Green Earth (SAGE) in accordance with TOMS One Day without Shoes on April 8^th.  For more information visit onedaywithoutshoes.com.

…… Overall I think it was a really great day!….

Ciao!

Every morning I wake up……. March 2, 2010

Hello ALL!

It is currently 3:28 AM on March 2nd. I woke up bright and early this lovely morning to register for classes and of course the system is overloaded with so many people trying to register, so I had a litttle free time and thought I’d update you guys.

So today is the first day after the TOMS Internship deadline so all of my information is officially in and there is nothing to do now but wait…….. Wait and continue spreading the One for One movement of coarse! I hit a big milestone last week! I finally got approval for the barefoot race to be held on my campus. At first they were really worried about the liabilities and everything, but I eventually won them over as I had  no doubt I would.

Also the local TOMS retailer here is officially a GO to come represent TOMS at Earth Day so that is awesome!!!! Im so excited for this I can barely sit still!

However….. I do have classes today so I need to hit  the sack! Talk to you guys later!

Ciao!

P.S. Style You Sole is TODAY!!!! YAY!!!! Story Coming Soon!!!

I’m on the website!!!! February 21, 2010

Check me out!!!

http://www.tomsshoes.com/flag.aspx?upost=1&post=1148&t=uphoto

2/2 Update:

……. Well I was on there….. something happened to the link! Oh well, it was awesome while it lasted!

Quick Update! February 17, 2010

Ok so I’m really in a rush today because I have allot going on but I wanted to update you all on something I think is pretty awesome.

I am apart of an environmental group on campus called SAGE and every year we have an Earth Day Celebration and were are in the process of planning this years’ now. There is only one place in Statesboro (the town where my school is located) that sells TOMS Shoes and today I got them to agree to come out to Earth Day and sell their TOMS stock. I am so excited. I think this will attract allot more people to the Earth Day Celebration while at the same time passing on the One for One Movement. YAY!!!!

Also I’m in the process of coordinating a barefoot race on April 8th (one day without shoes). It is actually turning out to be way more complicated than I imagined but it will all be worth it in the end. I am so excited, it’s going to be great!!!

Well I have to go. Ill keep you updated!

Ciao!

Back to Business February 14, 2010

February 14th 5:19 pm

So yesterday I took a little break from the TOMS internship stuff. Not by choice really, my mom demanded it (she said I was working too hard) and so I couldn’t help but comply, but now I’m back. The other day I read the blog post by the current TOMS interns and it looks like they are having a great time. I can’t wait until I’m in their shoes. I’ve sent out my TOMS information to about six people to review it but its quite lengthy so I don’t expect to hear any feedback for a few days. I think I will also take my resume to the career services at my school to make sure its in the best shape possible. There is a meeting tomorrow for my campus newspaper and I want to go to make sure I get to write a piece about the Style your Sole event on campus in about two weeks. I think that would be kind of cool to have an article I wrote about TOMS printed in a newspaper. Im also working on planning a barefoot race for April 8th but im running into some locational problems so I need  some input from my fellow SAGE-etts at this weeks meeting…….

Later!

17 DAYS!!!! February 12, 2010

17 Days until the TOMS internship deadline and I’m starting to get a little anxious. I have most of the stuff that I need to submit but I just keep checking it over and  over making sure that it is good enough…. no not good enough great enough! Everything has to be absolutely perfect because TOMS deserves nothing but the best and I am the best and I need to be able to show them that through my application.  Something tells me this would be so much easier  if I had the opportunity to meet with someone there. But hey, those are the breaks for living on the other side of the country…. no face to face interviews.

A really long day…. February 10, 2010

Feb 10th 3:27 pm

So today has been very long, upsetting, and slightly discouraging. I went to a seminar at my school called “Life After College” and I went to workshops on resume writing and interviewing and stuff like that. I just feel like all of the skills that I thought were awesome really aren’t all that  great and unique so I really need to do an amazing job of selling myself. The TOMS deadline is in 18 days and I have yet to even start my cover letter, which I thought I would learn something about today but didn’t. And on top of that, I got a parking ticket for parking in the wrong place for the conference……… Oh well, I guess it’s worth it if I get the job at TOMS. (and I really hope I get the job, in case that wasn’t already clear) oh well, im off to edit my resume now.

Later.

8:36 pm Update:

Resume is done, cover letter is done, I’m off to bed. Exhausted!

Glass and Rocks and Splinters OH MY!!! February 9, 2010

Feb 9th 10:01 am

So yesterday my very smart roommates were in the kitchen playing with things they shouldn’t have been and they dropped two glasses on the floor and they shattered everywhere. They cleaned up the mess so they didn’t find it necessary to tell me about it. So when I unsuspectingly walked barefoot into the kitchen and was startled by a sharp pain in my foot I didn’t know what to think.  Needless to say I was a little upset with my roommates for not warning me but then I started to think. “Hey, at least I have the option of going in my room and putting on some shoes before I walk into the kitchen again. Some children in other countries don’t have that option. They probably have to walk over things allot worse than a little glass to get to school, or food, or water. That’s another reason why TOM’S is so important. Because let me tell you walking on glass is not a fun thing to do! (and that’s just from my very limited experience) TOM’S gives these children one less thing to worry about in a  life that should be about having fun and learning and being a kid!

Out with the OLD and in with the TOMS February 8, 2010

an article I wrote about Blake for my Journalism class……

Out with the Old and In with the TOM’S

By: Alecia Norman

On Monday February 1^st, Georgia Southern University played host to Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOM’S Shoes, as part of its Leadership and Civic Engagement Week. Students lined up at the Performing Arts Center up to two hours ahead of schedule dressed in TOM’S Shoes and anxiously waiting for the doors to be opened.  One student said that she had been wearing TOM’S for years and couldn’t wait to meet the man behind the shoes. As students filed in frantic voices could be heard as some searched for a “good” question to submit for the Q&A session after the speech.

The Welcome was given by Allison Beasley, a Political Science Major. She quoted the French solider Ferdinand Foch saying that “the most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” She challenged the audience to find their passion and inspiration in life.

Mycoskie entered the stage and immediately took the audience on the journey of the creation of TOMS Shoes. He spoke of how a young Philosophy major drop out came to be the founder and “Chief Shoe Giver” of a company that has been featured in magazines such as VOGUE, Vanity Fair, and O. Mycoskie was inspired one day while participating in an impromptu volunteer project in Argentina. He joined a group of American volunteers to give away shoes on a “shoe drop.” Without these shoes the children of this village would not have been able to go to school because shoes were a part of the uniform. While remembering this day Mycoskie said that he was so excited to be participating in this shoe drop. “I felt like my spirit, my heart, my everything was filled up.” This day inspired him to create a shoe company that would give away a new pair of shoes for every pair sold.

After returning to America with nothing but a “business model” for giving and 250 pairs of shoes to sell he was rejected from many stores before one agreed to sell his shoes on a trial basis. Mycoskie knew that he would change the lives of many children with his shoe drops but he had no idea the ways that he would be changed. He worked to sell as many shoes as possible and the response was greater than he imagined and in one year’s time he sold 10,000 pairs of TOM’S. “When we gave away those first 10,000 pairs, that’s when my life changed” said Mycoskie.

Sustainability was a major topic of the night. Mycoskie talked about the importance of building a business that was sustainable. “Creating something that can continue to feed itself” is what he did with TOM’S.  After his initial investment into the business it was not necessary to add any additional money to sustain the company. Mycoskie credits the success of TOM’S Shoes to the fact that charitable giving is thoroughly woven into the fabric of the company. “Giving not only feels good, but it is a really good business strategy… People want a cause, they want to be a part of it” said Mycoskie. For this reason TOM’S has no need to spend money on advertising because the customers take care of it.

As the presentation closed with a Q&A session moderated by Dr. Todd Deal, Mycoskie admitted that out of his five business adventured prior to TOMS two of them were “complete disasters” but he learned from them and transferred that knowledge to his business today. Mycoskie believes that in order to be a good business person you have to take risks. “You can’t be afraid of failure” Mycoskie said, as he encouraged students to follow their dreams and do what inspires them.

According to the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Dr. Teresa Thompson, in addition to the filled auditorium there were another 600 students in the overflow room. As the students exited the PAC, they appeared to be excited, inspired, and motivated. “I have been waiting since school started to see him speak and he did not disappoint” said Junior, Hayley Wise, adding that she wanted to go right out and purchase her first pair of TOM’S. Wise’s thoughts seemed to be the concurring sentiment as several students signed up to participate in the Style Your Sole event later this semester where you can design your own pair of TOM’S.

Blake Mycoskie Reflection February 8, 2010

Hey everyone, here’s a short reflection that I wrote about when Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes, came to visit my school…..

On Monday, February 05, 2010, Blake Mycoskie came to speak to GA Southern students. Blake is the founder and “Chief Shoe Giver” of TOMS Shoes, a company that gives away a new pair of shoes for every pair they sell. During his speech, he talked about the origins of TOMS and how it all got started. He explained that his original intention was just to provide shoes for one village that he visited while he was in Argentina where the children were not allowed to attend school if they did not have shoes. When his business started it grew faster than he imagined and it has evolved into the TOMS Shoes we know today. By the way there is no “TOM”, TOM stands for TOMORROW as in Tomorrow’s Shoes. That’s the philosophy upon which the company was built. Sell a pair of shoes today. Give a pair away tomorrow.

Overall I thought that Blake’s speech was truly inspiring. Not in the usual inspiring way, you know the story about someone pulling themselves up from poverty to be a successful business person to then give to people who don’t have essential needs, but in a different way. I feel that Blake is just like any other person you may run into around GA Southern. He comes from a middle class home, always had what he needed, never had to struggle for anything, but one day he saw a cause that needed his attention and he immersed himself into it to help others. I found it inspiring because it made me believe that I could one day do something to change the world like him.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know that him giving away shoes is not going to cure cancer or create world peace. But I can see that he has truly touched the lives of thousands, and potentially millions with his shoe giving company. I think that is something that everyone should aspire to do. Although everyone will have different paths and different goals in life, I think that everyone should aspire to change the lives of someone for the better. We should aspire to have the world be a somewhat better place because we are on it. If everybody did that this world could be a drastically better place. Most people live their lives only looking out for themselves and possibly their family members, if more people cared about strangers and tried to help others, there is no limit to what we could accomplish as a society and as a world.