Sophomore Ioana-Taisia Turcescu—better known by friends, family, and fellow Villanovans as Yoyo—from Romania has a Villanova story that’s undoubtedly unique and a prime example of Villanova excellence in action. As an international student who collaborated with a designer to create a brand and clothing line in just her second year of college (and while quarantining during a pandemic), Ioana has definitely made the most of her experience, and continues to make Villanova proud.

“Being an international student means applying to like twenty schools. You don’t really know what you’re getting yourself into!” Ioana says. “I personally didn’t—I just applied to the schools that fit my major and my financial needs as well, which was a very important factor. My choice to go to Villanova was mostly based on very good financial aid and seeing that there was a strong communication department. Moreover, it’s in Pennsylvania, and I knew that one of my friends was going to go to Drexel, so that was a great addition!”

While she felt welcomed by friends and faculty at Villanova, Ioana opens up about some of the struggles of being an international student in college and how that was affected by the pandemic. “I’m actually the only Romanian student on campus, which is both weird and interesting. I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have my best friend and a bunch of other Romanian students at Drexel,” she says. “I didn’t have a hard time making friends, but that’s mostly because I’m very extroverted. I love talking to people, and I do have good English, which definitely helped, but it does get lonely. I miss home quite a lot sometimes and it’s very hard to find people that understand what missing home for real is, especially when you’re in another continent. It’s on you to not feel lonely. You have to decide how you feel, and if you miss home, talk to the people around you. They might not understand, but they’re there to listen, which is comforting.”

Further, as students across the globe traded on-campus classes for online learning, it was much more difficult for some to go home than others. “I got my flight cancelled four times before coming home. I was scared, my parents were scared, and that’s when I didn’t feel like home—not even at Villanova, but not feeling at home in the States because I was so far away, and I wanted to be next to my family. It’s not about being at Villanova specifically, it’s about being a foreigner in the United States, which is already hard.” Though she eventually returned home safe and sound, Ioana’s experience is similar to that of many international students who haven’t received the support they need.

Feeling safer, happier, and healthier now that she is home, what initially began as a way to make some extra money and to find a renewed sense of purpose while quarantining turned into something much greater for Ioana. This semester, Ioana has taken a leave of absence to launch her own collection of corset-style tops—called “Yoyo” after Ioana’s own nickname—with Oana Nutu, a designer based out of Bucharest. “I had always been into fashion—it’s a passion that I’ve had since I was three years old,” says Ioana. “When I got home, I had to quarantine for two weeks…and I wanted to make some money for myself, so I decided to just start selling my clothes! There are a lot of people making money by selling clothes on Instagram accounts, but then I decided that I wanted to do something more—I wanted to design something.”

“My dad’s wife is a designer, and she had been designing occasion dresses and bridal stuff for quite a long time. The tops of the dresses she designed were corsets, so I went to her and I said, ‘Let’s make a corset collection. No one is doing this in Romania right now, people are looking for it, it’s all over Pinterest and Instagram, let’s do it!’ She looked at me and she was like, ‘I like that!’”

“It was tough in the beginning—we went through a lot of samples and nothing was really working out. I wanted a good price, but also knew that she was a designer, so we needed to keep it in between luxury and affordable. I was going into work every day to learn about the process, learn about business, learn about the fashion industry, trying to immerse myself and see what it’s really like. We finally got down to five pieces that I was really proud of, and within a week, we had a photoshoot!”

After building a following on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, Ioana’s collection with Oana Nutu has proven to be a success. “Business is booming and it’s going really well,” she says. “The response has been great, and we’ve sold internationally as well, which is awesome. I’m really proud, because this is my vision and what I wanted to do. It was just about me wanting to create something, being privileged enough to have a family member that was willing to work with me and that already had their own business, and creating something with them. I go into work every single day excited to be there. I’m excited to see the process, I’m excited to come up with a new collection, and I’m excited to sit down with the people working there and just talk to them. I’ve gotten brand deals because people have started to notice me in the fashion industry, so it’s just been great!”

Ioana says her favorite part of the process is seeing her work being worn. “I get pictures sent to me each time someone orders something and they get the package. I knew that was going to be my favorite part, because I didn’t feel that sigh of relief until I saw people get the product and be content with it. That was my big thing—I’m going to create this and sell it, but once the person gets it and the feedback is good, that is when I can sleep well at night!”

With her brand continuing to grow, Ioana is keeping a positive, open, and flexible mind when it comes to planning for the future and balancing her career in fashion with returning to her studies at Villanova. “Right now, I’m planning on working with my dad’s wife until I come back to college, hopefully in January. My dream is to have my own store or my own clothing line that I design, but I’m also very interested in the marketing and PR aspect of fashion, so I would also like to do something in that domain. But I’m still in college, this isn’t my full-time job, and I’m just letting myself do something awesome with the time that I have.”

Continuing her education is a priority for Ioana, and in addition to her interest in communication and philosophy, she hopes that Villanova might consider adding a fashion or creative design department to its curriculum. “It is a little weird thinking about going back to school when I love what I’m doing, because Villanova isn’t a fashion school. It’s a bit saddening, and I wish Villanova had a fashion department or at least an art-based department, there’s a lot of extracurriculars [but no major or fashion-based classes]. I do want to finish college—that’s one thing I really care about.”

“I love philosophy and communications and going into class, and coming to Villanova as an international student, being in class and feeling my perspective expand have been the best feelings,” Ioana adds. “I’ve also been very fortunate my first semester because I genuinely loved all of my classes. School isn’t what I thought it was. It’s not about memorizing, it’s about me sitting down on a blanket outside of Stanford Hall with my philosophy readings and genuinely enjoying them. My mind was opened to so many new thoughts and perspectives, and I will forever praise Villanova for being such a great educational space. I’ve never felt so close to my teachers in my life, made so many strong connections, used so much of the information that I’ve learned from class in my day-to-day life, and I never thought I would do that.”

Ioana’s story is inspiring to her fellow international students, Villanovans, aspiring entrepreneurs, and young, ambitious personalities on the whole. Her perspective, perseverance, and positivity exemplify what it means to be a Villanovan, and there is no doubt that her success will follow her far into the future. “I’m a very momentum-based person,” she says. “If something is working out, you should see where it takes you. I’m just in love with what I’m doing right now. This feels like what I’m supposed to be doing in life and it just makes me so happy!”

You can find Ioana on Instagram at @__y.o.y.o__ and @_yoyoscloset_ .

Visit https://www.oananutu.com/produse/corsete or visit @oananutu on Instagram to shop Ioana’s collection!