Campus Style

College students are poor but that doesn’t mean their closets have to suffer. I ran into three San Diego City College students who rely on thrift stores and retail discounters to keep their wardrobes stocked.

Scarlett Santamarie is majoring in communications.

“I want to work on TV,” the 19-year-old told me.

For now she is doing well for herself. She owns a DJ company with her dad called English Beat Sound. She djs at various events around San Diego like weddings, quinceañeras , and raves. Santamarie regularly appears on Despierta San Diego, a Mexican TV station, DJing. At City College, Santamarie wore an H&M top, Forever 21 jeans, and a pair of sparkly Toms. She prefers to shop at thrift stores and discount shops like H&M and Forever 21.

I assumed Leah Shoemaker was an art major, what with her colorful tats and portfolio like bag. I was wrong. She is majoring in behavioral science. She’s an on-call receptionist at Guru, Chronic, and Lucky tattoo parlors. She gets free tats. Perhaps that’s why she has so many.

Shoemaker wore head-to-toe resale shop items.

“I don’t like to spend more than $20 on anything.”

She prefers to shop at Buffalo Exchange, Thrift Trader, and City Dicks.

“I traded something old and got this purse, she told me,” holding up her hefty, leather messenger purse.

In ten years JoJo Peyton would like to work for a radio station in San Francisco.

“I visited San Francisco for Pride weekend and I loved it,” the 19-year-old told me. Peyton is currently a radio/TV/film major at City College. He wore H&M and Cotton-on.