Retail Fellows Represent Georgetown at NRF Foundation Student Program in New York City

Behind the Scenes of Retail

Most people experience retail only at the end of the story, when a product is already on the rack or a package shows up at their door. By that point, months of work across design, planning, and operations have already shaped what the customer sees. I recently had the opportunity to see that process up close and better understand how those decisions are made.

From Jan. 8-11, I had the opportunity to represent Georgetown McDonough as an NRF Business of Retail Initiative MBA fellow at the NRF Foundation Student Program in New York City, an immersive experience designed to connect top students with the future of the retail industry.

As part of the inaugural class of fellows in the Retail Initiative, I joined our program director, Professor Kelly Lee, another MBA fellow Sara Zahir (MBA’27), and undergraduate interns Catherine Cho (B’27) and Jiwoo Park (B’28) for four days of learning, networking, and firsthand exposure to how the modern retail ecosystem truly operates. Since I plan to pivot into a marketing career in retail post-MBA, the experience was both affirming and energizing.

Inside Kohl’s: How an Idea Becomes a Product

We started Thursday at Kohl’s headquarters in the Garment District. Instead of talking about one product, the team walked us through how a product actually comes to life: where ideas begin, how options get narrowed, how decisions get made, and how something eventually ends up on the floor for a customer to see and buy.

What stayed with me was how many people work on a product before it ever reaches a store. We saw how merchandising, planning, and operations pass work from one group to another, and how small decisions early in the process shape everything that follows.

I have studied this process before, but seeing it unfold inside Kohl’s made me respect how precise it has to be. Every choice carries forward. By the time a product reaches the floor, its story has already been rewritten dozens of times.

The Future of Retail: Talent, Technology, and Purpose

The programming on Friday focused on where the industry is going — and who will lead it there.

The Young Professionals Panel featured leaders from Bloomingdale’s, Haddad Brands, LVMH North America, and Vuori, who spoke candidly about their early career paths, the skills that matter most, and how the NRF Foundation programs helped shape their trajectories. Their stories reinforced that retail offers long-term, dynamic careers across strategy, finance, merchandising, and branding.

Later that day, I attended a session with leaders from Daydream and Gap Inc., moderated by a reporter from The Business of Fashion, and it quickly became the most memorable part of the program. They talked about how Gap is beginning to integrate Daydream, an AI shopping agent, into the way customers discover products, and showed examples of how someone can describe what they are looking for in plain language and get results that actually make sense. What stayed with me was how different that felt from the way we usually shop. Instead of clicking through pages, people can start with a sentence.

Another standout session, led by Julia Furnari, executive director of the Tapestry and Coach Foundations, focused on retail as a platform for positive change. She shared how the industry is tackling sustainability, workforce development, and social impact — and how every role in retail, regardless of function, can contribute to building a more responsible and purpose-driven future.

After these sessions, I left New York convinced that the future of retail will be shaped by leaders who can use technology thoughtfully, run strong businesses, and care about the long-term impact of their choices.

A Front-Row Seat to the Industry and Its Leaders

Saturday brought two of the most impactful experiences of the program. First was the NRF Foundation Executive Mentor Experience, presented by American Express, where more than 100 senior retail leaders joined students for in-depth, small-group conversations about career navigation and industry realities. I had the opportunity to speak with mentors from Bloomingdale’s, Best Buy, Kohl’s, and Chico’s, gaining invaluable perspective on leadership, career progression, and the many paths within retail.

One of my mentors during this experience was Namalei Mutucumarana from Kohl’s, who has spent the last 12 years building her career with the company. She shared thoughtful, practical insights about what it really takes to succeed in retail — especially the importance of staying relentlessly focused on the customer. As she emphasized, “no matter where you land in retail, you must continuously learn about your customer and truly understand their profile.” Kohl’s deep understanding of its customer, she explained, is a core reason for the company’s long-term success.

Later that day, at the NRF Foundation Career Fair, I found myself talking to brands I have admired for years. The conversations were about growth, opportunity, and where the industry is headed. It was exciting to see how much retail is expanding and how many doors it is opening.

The Power of the NRF Business of Retail Initiative at Georgetown

Attending the program as an NRF Business of Retail Initiative MBA fellow made the experience especially meaningful. Under the leadership of Kelly Lee, the Retail Initiative has already broadened my exposure to the industry, expanded my network, and deepened my understanding of how retail truly works — from data and operations to brand and consumer experience.

Being part of the initiative’s inaugural year feels like helping build something that will shape the McDonough experience for years to come. The partnership between Georgetown and the NRF Foundation is creating a powerful bridge between academic learning and industry practice — and I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of it.

On the flight back from New York, I kept thinking about how deeply retail is woven into everyday life, often in ways we barely notice. Retail today sits at the intersection of data, creativity, technology, and human behavior. Seeing the industry up close made me more certain that this is where I want to build my career and where I can contribute in a meaningful way.

I’m deeply grateful to the NRF Foundation and Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business for the opportunity to represent our community in New York City — and to bring these insights, connections, and inspiration back to campus.