While spending time on campus, it’s hard to not see “PINK” plastered on sweatshirts, sweatpants and backpacks. What’s better than wearing VS PINK? Representing them, according to Maria Martino, one of the West Virginia University Victoria’s Secret PINK College Representatives. The senior nursing major can be seen around campus in the Alpha Phi Sorority, on the Health Sciences Campus, with her brothers of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Fraternity and rocking PINK wherever she goes.
Melanie Smith: So, tell me how you became so involved on campus?
Maria Martino: I was always involved in several sports, clubs, and activities in high school, so I definitely had a desire to be involved on WVU’s campus as well. Greek life has helped me spread my connections and now I feel like this campus is a lot smaller than 30,000 because of how many people I now know and I am so grateful for that. I must be very involved in my studies as a nursing major and so I have become almost an inhabitant of the libraries, but I also have a great class and we go through everything together (and I do mean everything, haha!) That makes it much easier. For PINK, I started going to on-campus PINK events as a freshman, because who doesn’t love getting free PINK gear? My junior year I became a Street Team member for PINK. The Street Team is pretty much the “legs” of the club. I helped advertise and set up for events. This past year, I applied to become the PINK Representative for WVU. The application processed involved a written application, a video submission and a Skype interview. Then once I was selected, I was flown to Columbus, Ohio where the Victoria’s Secret Headquarters is and it was an amazing process. They treated us like angels, literally!
MS: How has being a campus rep for PINK influenced your life here on campus?
MM: It has definitely helped me meet amazing girls that come to our functions, like our big zumba event on the green, and I love giving free gear to girls and seeing how happy it makes them.
MS: What is your favorite part of that position? What is your favorite memory?
MM: My favorite part of the PINK process was definitely when I got to take over the official and national VS PINK SnapChat in order to show the country what WVU is all about. We took snaps around Woodburn, the library, even the real Mountaineer made a guest appearance and we got access to the football stadium! I really felt like a celebrity. It was a day I’ll never forget.
MS: Why did you decide to become a campus rep?
MM: Even though I’m in nursing school, I have always had a passion for fashion so this has been a fun way to express that. One big part of being a rep is communicating with headquarters as to what is trendy on our campus and what WVU college girls want to see in stores, so it’s pretty amazing that I can help put fun, trendy things in stores and say “I did that.”
MS: Where do you see yourself in the future?
MM: I definitely will work in the healthcare field. I have always enjoyed the thought of being a pediatric Nurse Practitioner, or even going on to Dental School! I love science and the healthcare field so I’ll be in a white coat working somewhere in my future!