From playing dress-up as a girl with clip-on earrings and rubber boots to dressing up models in designer outfits for a national fashion show competition, senior Abigail Hardin has come a long way to achieve success as a fashion apparel student at the University of Alabama.

Hardin applied for Marie Claire Magazine’s Front Row College Challenge last year with the encouragement of Virginia Wimberley, an assistant professor in clothing, textiles and interior design. The competition was a first-time partnership with LOFT to find college students who are interested in fashion and know the style of their region.

Hardin had to take pictures of styled outfits for specific events as a part of the application process to supplement her written responses to questionnaires. She photographed the styles in front of the tornado wreckage to emphasize her desire to help the Tuscaloosa community through her fashion.

“I wanted to show an inspiring, fun and uplifting heart for the Tuscaloosa community,” Hardin said.

Hardin discovered in August that she was one of four college students chosen to execute a fashion show in their college towns. The months leading up to the November fashion show became a whirlwind of planning the event and continuing her schoolwork and senior project. She accumulated a group of UA administrators and faculty to support and advise her efforts.

“This was an amazing opportunity for the creative part of the University to receive national recognition,” said Milla Boschung, dean of the College of Human and Environmental Sciences. “It was important for the UA community to come together in a group effort to provide guidance to a successful student.”

Hardin’s network of advisors was familiar to her. During her freshman year at UA, she published a children’s book, “Look At Me; I Am Just Like You,” that she had written when she was only 16 years old, and UA faculty helped her throughout that experience, as well.

“My book teaches empathy and addresses differences as a way of preventing bullying,” said Hardin, whose book is based on her difficulty overcoming a prominent birthmark on her cheek. “I’m grateful for the relationships I formed in the first years of my college experience through my book. The relationships came full circle and really showed me the importance of a team. The fashion show would not have worked without their help.”

An additional dimension to Hardin’s fashion show intensified the stresses of organizing the event. She decided to bring her application for the competition to fruition by publicizing and contributing to the post-April 27 Tuscaloosa community.

She created a scrapbook of recovered fabrics from the destruction of McFarland Boulevard Hobby Lobby to document the process of the show. Hardin gave the scrapbook as a gift to Marie Claire representatives after the fashion show.

More directly, Hardin contributed to the rejuvenation of Tuscaloosa by partnering with Project Blessings, a Tuscaloosa based nonprofit organization that helps low-income families repair their damaged homes.

Hardin convinced Marie Claire to donate $10 per attendee of the fashion show, and she used the help of Creative Campus and UA Students for Free Enterprise to market the event and collect the funds.

“Abigail has helped raise $5,000 for Project Blessings,” said Marsha Sprayberry, founder of Project Blessings. “Her energy and passion that has gone into this type of commitment is truly an example of quality leadership. She is one of the kindest people who truly has a heart for using her talent to give back to her community.”

Hardin is no stranger to the world of nonprofits and entrepreneurship. When she was in high school, she founded her own nonprofit organization, called the Open My Eyes Foundation, which raises money, publicity and service for character-building initiatives.

Hardin is still unsure of her plans after graduation in May, but she is confident that her future will combine her love of fashion and service.

“Last semester was crazy, but I was able to see a whole different side of myself,” Hardin said. “I saw myself grow. I realized that, with a lot of encouragement and faith, I could persevere and push through to accomplish something. In the future, I hope to be able to mix fashion with philanthropy service. Without service, I lose the joy of making a difference for someone else.”