Burgundy & Cream

Stefanie is the first to admit that she usually keeps her outfits simple, and it took her friend to convince her to accessorize her look. “Small items help to make it look different,” she agrees. “Ultimately, I believe in feeling comfortable. If you don’t feel good, you won’t look good!” Although Stefanie’s been at work for almost two years, she says that she’s still trying to figure out how to balance work and personal time. “Sleep is for the weak,” she laughs. “I’m only joking, but the great thing about my company is that it closes early every last Friday of the month to encourage a work life balance.” Stefanie also loves that her job gives her the opportunity to constantly learn new things, and she enjoys the company of the people she works with. “They make waking up in the morning a little less dreadful.” Another way she’s trying to manage a balance in her life is by enjoying good food, and doing yoga. “Good food can be detrimental to the waistline (especially when you’re sitting down 8 hours a day) so I picked up yoga to balance it out, although I spend most of the time laughing at how inflexible I am,” she says. “I would also love to learn an array of new things, like how to play a musical instrument, for example, but I shall master yoga first and then I’ll move on to conquering the world.” When things do get a little rough, Stefanie looks to this quote: ‘You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.’ She also looks up to her parents as her role models in life. “As cliché as it sounds, my dad taught me the value of hard work and the need to always strive for bigger and better things. My mom taught me to always be kind and to put others first,” she says. “They have been through many thunderstorms in life, always with a smile on their faces, which I think is absolutely amazing. I will be lucky to grow up to be half the people that they are.”