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Flora Uragallo might have grown up surrounded by sewing machines—her father owns and runs a business making suits—but she says she never actually learned how to use one until she started in the Fashion Design and Marketing program at the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa.

Currently halfway through her Associate of Science degree at the Academy, Flora has learned more than just how to operate a sewing machine. "I can't pick a favorite class because I like them all so much. We've covered so many things already, and I'm still only in my Associate degree." As soon as she graduates, Flora plans on continuing on to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design and Marketing, also at the Academy.

"I've loved this school since the minute I started," she says. "The curriculum is a good mix of practical and theoretical, and even the theoretical classes include hands-on components."

Flora didn't always know she wanted to go into fashion design. After graduating from a nearby high school, she enrolled at an area community college because she was undecided as to what she wanted to do. After a year at the community college, Flora heard about fashion design programs. She looked at several schools in both Florida and California, eventually deciding upon the Academy in Tampa because it didn't require a move and because she liked the school's diversity and resources. It also helped that she was able to transfer many of her community college classes to cover the some of general education requirements at the Academy.

"Some schools offering fashion degree programs offer only fashion degree programs. The Academy has so many programs in addition to fashion and [the school] really encourages students from different programs to work together and help each other out," Flora says. "It isn't difficult for photography and fashion students to work together, or for fashion students and production students to help each other. It fosters a real sense of community while exposing you to areas outside of your program."