Amherst Senior Finds Her Passion in Fashion

Kaylee Starkweather is a senior from Amherst Central High School and is enrolled in the Fashion Design Technology program at Erie 1 BOCES Harkness Career & Technical Center. “I enrolled in BOCES because I wanted to expand my knowledge of the fashion industry to get myself ready for the workforce and increase the chances of advancing in my career,” Kaylee said. In the fall of 2023, following graduation, Kaylee plans on pursuing a career as a stylist, designer and visual merchandiser. Under the instruction of Darlene Borchert, Kaylee has learned about sewing, fashion psychology, graphic design and more. “Kaylee is creative, self-driven, respectful and professional. She takes all curriculum presented to her from the program and works to have a complete understanding of the units,” Borchert said. “Her projects are carefully prepared, proving she has not only mastered the material, but respected the education process of a project-based class.” “This program has shown me not only basic sewing skills to create garments, but also what fibers make up fabrics and what goes on in the industry – from pre-production to retail,” Kaylee said.