A Red and White Foundation

The joy she found in expressing herself through cosmetics and fashion and the beauty she saw in color inspired Klumpe to pursue undergraduate studies at NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles. “I was excited by the idea of using my personal passion and turning it into a career,” she says.

She was chosen as a College of Textiles Centennial Scholar because of her leadership qualities, extracurricular activities, unique life experiences, and academic achievement in high school, where she was valedictorian. During Klumpe’s undergraduate tenure at NC State, she had success in and out of the classroom, receiving awards for both academic achievement and for leadership and engagement in student activities.

In 2017, she was awarded two bachelor’s degrees, in fashion and textile management (concentrating in brand management and marketing) and polymer and color chemistry, with an American Chemical Society certification. Klumpe also received the College of Textiles Award for Academics for having the highest GPA and earning the largest collective number of A+ grades.

“The skills I acquired as an NC State undergraduate have been foundational as I move forward,” says Klumpe. “While I am currently out of the lab, the analytical skills I gained there have proven beneficial, helping me to interpret and transform data into meaningful business insights. The networking and interviewing skills I learned, as well as the relationships I developed, continue to be important.”

During her undergraduate studies, Klumpe became interested in integrating the scientific and marketing aspects of cosmetics. “To me, the development of a new product should be inextricable from its marketing and branding,” she says. “During the formulation process, one must keep the consumer’s desires in mind to create a product people will want to buy. At the same time, the marketing must consider the product’s unique attributes instilled during its creation in order to effectively communicate the product’s quality and value.”

Klumpe’s summer 2017 internship in product and fragrance development in the New York City corporate office of Bath and Body Works opened her horizons to the myriad opportunities in the cosmetics field. Soon after finishing her internship, she learned about the GLAM program from her college friend Kristin Freeman, GLAM ‘17. Klumpe says that conversations with Dr. Kristie McGowan, director of the GLAM program, and Kathleen Black, assistant director, helped her realize that GLAM was a unique opportunity that could “bring me closer to my career goals and give me a leg up when it came to my job search.”

“After talking with Kristie and Kathleen, I understood that while GLAM isn’t solely focused on luxury cosmetics, the program could lead me to a career with a prestige brand,” she says. “To get your foot in the door in the industry, it’s so important to build relationships and make connections. And that’s something that GLAM offers with its incredible mentorship program and alumni who help us as students to build our network.”

The Significance of Mentorship

Klumpe is thrilled to have Bill Humphries, chair of the GLAM board, as her mentor. “He’s incredibly passionate about helping students get where they need to be,” she says. “When we first met, he was very personable and asked me, ‘What do you need and what can I do to help you?'”

She appreciates that Humphries is helping her identify opportunities and is using his network to introduce her to people who can be instrumental in her career. “He wants to be a bridge for me, helping me to make the connections that I need,” she says.

Humphries is equally delighted to have Klumpe as his mentee. “Hayley is an incredible talent who doesn’t even realize how good she is,” says Humphries. “Having spent time on the lab bench and then learning the management piece has given her the desire to deploy both of those skills sets. She’s a problem solver whose follow up and attention to detail are pristine. And Hayley does an excellent job of taking advantage of all of the wonderful opportunities this great program offers.”

McGowan echoes the plaudits from Humphries. “From the moment we interviewed Hayley for GLAM, we knew that she would add a lot of value to the class of 2019 cohort and that the program would be an excellent fit for her future goals,” says McGowan. “Hayley’s unique undergraduate background as well as her standing as valedictorian of her undergraduate class prepared her for the academic rigor of our one-year accelerated dual master’s program. She is an absolute joy to have in class, with professors throughout the program noting her unique intellectual talents and ability to connect business ideas.”

A Global Classroom

Klumpe says that the breadth and depth of the GLAM program excite her. “Earning a Master of Management from NC State is helping me to learn the strategic business management skills that are relevant to the industry,” she says. “And having the opportunity to study in Paris while getting a Master of Science in Global Luxury and Management from SKEMA Business School is particularly appealing. With the advancement of technology and growing digitalization, the world is becoming more accessible than ever, and it is increasingly important for one to have a global perspective.”

“International experience is especially important for the field of cosmetics,” says Klumpe. “Being able to study in Paris and learn about the luxury industry as a whole, and how cosmetics fits into that, is an incredible opportunity.”

Klumpe says that the diversity of her classmates enhances her learning experience. “The small size of our class, half of whom are from countries outside the United States, helps us build close relationships,” she says. “It’s been a unique experience to meet and work with people from other countries and cultures and see how their perspectives differ from mine. I have gained insights into how business is done throughout the world.”

The program’s study tour in New York City, during which Klumpe and her classmates met with leaders in the luxury industry, and an entrepreneurship course during which students consulted with a luxury company are two examples Klumpe cites of the program’s hands-on, real-world experience which she has found valuable to her future.

“Before I began GLAM, I would have said that I only wanted a career in the cosmetics industry,” says Klumpe. “While that remains the dream, I’m staying open to opportunities that will allow me to utilize what I have learned and demonstrate my capabilities beyond the classroom. I know that I want to meld my analytical and creative business sides in my career. GLAM has exposed me to career opportunities that I didn’t even know existed.”