HCHS alum participates in DMACC Fashion Gala

    ANKENY – A Harlan native participated Friday, April 23 in the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Fashion Institute’s seventh-annual Gala, held at the Ankeny Campus Black Box Theatre.
    Cierra Hoegh, a 2020 Harlan Community High School graduate and first-year student at DMACC, created the Rainbow Luau design worn by fellow student Emma Sandberg.  Hoegh wore the Deco Dress designed by Sandberg at the live shows.
    Hoegh just happened to be taking a fashion class this year, where the students had to design an avante garde piece to enter in the gala.
    “I figured since it’s my freshman year of college and everything has been shut down at the school because of COVID-19, it would be fun to get to experience something,” Hoegh explained.
    “So, one of my friends from class and I decided to enter our designs in the show and model for each other.”
    A total of 24 models took to the runway in the event to showcase the fashion designs.
    Hoegh currently is in the interior design consultant program and will obtain her certificate this month.  Her interior design program has been mixed with the fashion institute at DMACC, and Hoegh has been taking many fashion classes along with a few interior design and marketing classes, which got her involved in the fashion gala.

Interior Design
    She hopes to take her talents to the next level when she joins the building trades program next year at DMACC with an expected fall of 2022 graduation date.
    “I have always been super interested in homes and how to improve how they look, so interior design was the perfect fit for me,” she said.  “I am hoping to start working in home improvement somewhere close and in real estate.
    “I love how creative I get to be with all of my projects, and I basically get to live out everything I have been dreaming of doing since I was little.  I have been learning a lot of new information about the career I want to go into and it’s cool.”
    Hoegh points to her Grandma Lila of Ogden as a huge inspiration.  When she was growing up, the two watched HGTV together and played games around the house having to do with design, which really helped Cierra realize her love of designing homes.
    “She has taught me a lot of what I know with interior design, and she also helped me a ton with figuring out what I wanted to do with my Fashion Gala design,” Hoegh said.
    Bringing a client’s visions to life with her own creativity is something Hoegh is drawn to and hopes to build on during the next year of study.  “This profession is cool because you get to be super creative with everything,” she said.
    “I think the best ways to help yourself become successful are to always stay on top of things, and get projects done before they are due or when your client is expecting things to be done.  
    “It’s always better to go above and beyond than to just hit the mark of your client’s expectations.”
    Hoegh strives to align herself with plenty of resources so there are options when it comes to the needs of a project.
    “Having a good relationship with people in your area so they know they can trust you with your space (is key),” she said.
    Hoegh’s parents are Anna and Mike Jones of Harlan and Joe and Lora Hoegh of Wills Point, TX.  Her great-grandmother is Phyllis Hoegh of Harlan, and her siblings are Payten Hoegh, Baylee Hoegh, Camren Jones, Keaton Jones, and Makenzie Jones, all of Harlan.