Joy is stitched into everything Leah Thompkins creates – by design.
The fashion design major and costume design minor describes her personal style as “anything that six-year-old me would think is really cool.” Her playful perspective comes to life through her work: a jacket that tells the story of two cats meeting over the phone to a skirt designed to look like apple slices and a children’s collection based on an original story, complete with matching plush animals.
When Leah started researching fashion schools near her hometown of Westland, Michigan, she wanted more than technical training. She found it at , where a public university experience is paired with immersive global learning opportunities that prepare students for careers in an international industry.
For 's fashion design majors, studying abroad is a requirement for their degree. Leah’s educational journey took her first to Florence, Italy, and later to New York City, experiences that broadened her technical skills, creativity and professional confidence.
“If I don’t go travel, I’m not going to graduate, which I think is a really cool thing that Kent incorporates into their curriculum, because it almost forces you to learn a new perspective,” she said.
In ’s Florence location, she immersed herself in the craftsmanship behind fashion, studying the origins and construction of materials like wool and leather while strengthening her technical skills. It was where patternmaking finally clicked, and a professor challenged her to elevate her applique work.
's New York City Fashion offered a different kind of education. Located in the heart of the Garment District, it exposed Leah to the pace and realities of the fashion industry. Through an internship with an independent designer, she worked with boutiques, seamstresses and factories, gaining firsthand experience in how creative ideas become market-ready collections. In the studio, she developed a children’s wear collection inspired by a story she wrote about an unlikely friendship between a bunny and a bear.
Back on the Kent Campus, Leah had the chance to focus on her costume design minor. While assisting with a production of “The Wiz”, she spent seven hours hand-sewing straw onto the scarecrow’s overalls. Seeing the costume on stage during the show brought an unexpected reaction.
“I cried that day. I think that was the first time I actually cried seeing my work,” she recalled. “No one in this room knows that I worked on this scarecrow outfit, and I’m perfectly content with that.”
Leah is on track to graduate spring 2027, and she hopes to carry her whimsy into costume work or children’s apparel. “The main thing that centers my work is joy, joy and appreciation for my future self and joy and appreciation for my past self,” she said.
Thanks to immersive experiences in Florence, Italy, New York City and Kent, Leah has discovered that the best designs do more than make a statement. They create connections, spark imagination and leave people smiling.
Like many students, Leah balanced the financial realities of studying away. Time in Florence meant living without her regular paycheck, reinforcing how critical financial support can be in making transformative global experiences possible.
“Shout out the donors, because studying away isn’t cheap,” she said. Her ask is simple: “Anyone that’s willing to donate, thank you so much. Thank you for scholarships.”
The generosity of donors ensures students can participate in transformational education-abroad opportunities during their time at . To make a gift now or explore funds that benefit student scholarships, academic programs and more, .
