Solidifying career goals
Students also met professionals whose career paths expanded their own sense of what was possible. During a shadowing day at Astor House, for the 2026 Met Gala’s “Getting Ready With…” video productions, Olivia, who is interested in both journalism and acting, spoke with Natasha, a Director of Video Content and a production mentor for the students that day, who had studied theater before moving into media.
“Hearing someone speak about an experience that I might have in the future was inspiring because it showed me there’s not just one path into a field,” she said. “Just because theater is a hard industry doesn’t mean I can’t find a place for it in my life while also exploring media.”
A lifelong Vogue reader who once covered her walls with magazine covers, Olivia now plans to study journalism in college.
Jerniya had spent years imagining a future in medicine because it felt practical and familiar. Applying to CondéFuture required submitting a self-curated video. “It felt so real and personal to me, sharing a part of myself,” she said. By the end of the year, she had begun planning for a career in film as a producer or director.
“Part of me always knew I wanted to do something creative,” she said. “I didn’t let myself say it.”
Alice’s ambitions shifted too. She entered hoping to become a fashion illustrator. Watching conversations about everything from layouts to marketing decisions convinced her to pursue fashion marketing and business instead.
Ryan’s career goal of becoming an entrepreneur stayed the same. The people around him changed his perspective. “I learned a lot about myself, my hobbies, and importantly who I want to surround myself with,” he said.
“A speaker this year who stuck with me was one of the Senior Video Editors [Estan], whose career I aspire to have one day,” he said. “He said his motivation to pursue his passion is that he likes to tell a story. Those were simple words, but given what I was learning about finding motivation at that point in my life, they meant much more.”
In June, the cohort presented their finished magazines, complete with original photo shoots, articles, ads, and video content, to an audience of Condé Nast employees, family, and friends.
What’s next?
Twelve rising seniors with their own names in a masthead. Next year, they do it again. They get to take what they learned about media careers from year 1 into individual capstone projects where they are paired 1-to-1 with Condé Nast employee mentors. We can’t wait to see what they create next!
