#WooshAway with Joyce Van Drost, Software Developer & Beauty Influencer

She can code and contour and that's just one of the reasons we love Joyce Van Drost. She was kind enough to sit down with us and give us the scoop on how she navigated school, software developing, and having a social life in NYC. Read on & meet our friend Joyce... (and follow her on Instagram @_itsjoyofmylife). :)

W: Congrats on graduating from Rutgers! What an amazing accomplishment! What are you most proud of in achieving this milestone?

J: Thank you! It was a challenging four years for sure. I’m proud of myself for graduating first off, securing a full time job for post grad before I graduated, and honestly juggling all the extracurriculars I was involved in while still maintaining my grades!

W: You’re a software developer, what does that mean?! And what’s next now that you’ve graduated?

J: So I currently work at a bank as a software developer. In short, a software developer is usually writing code or computer programs to develop new software ranging anywhere from mobile applications, websites, or improving on software that has already been built. A lot of my day-to-day includes working on code, participating in team meetings, and getting help from my coworkers or helping others.

W: You’re a NYC girl….what do you like to do on weekends when you stay local? 

J: I’ve been loving NYC rooftops recently, they’re so fun and there’s so many of them that I’m still exploring and new ones to check out. My favorite is the Rare View Rooftop Bar on W 26th Street!  I also love to shop, it's probably not the best for my wallet, but it's always a fun time with my friends.  In the fall, I definitely find some indoor things to do. I’ve been checking out a lot of pop up exhibits which have been fun (the Ocean Cube one was incredible!) and I love catching up with friends over lunch or even better, weekend brunch!

W: What is your favorite place to go when you need to escape NYC? What is your dream destination?

J: The Sagittarius in me has made a whole list of places I want to visit including Italy, Spain, Greece, and Thailand, to name a few. I love traveling to not only get away from the hustle and bustle of NYC but also to learn about the culture of a new country and what it has to offer.

W: Have you always loved beauty? What made you want to become a beauty influencer on Instagram?

J: I think I really got into beauty while I was in college. I've been into fashion since I was little, but beauty was a gradual process for me. I think the beauty in it though was I started experimenting with each type of product at a time (I went from loving lipsticks, to then figuring out mascara, and then it was eyeshadow palettes, etc) and I kept wanting to grow my collection and now I’m obsessed. 

I think what first made me want to become a beauty Influencer was genuinely wanting to help other people. I wanted to help others find their way through discovering what they love about beauty. Now, it’s elevated to breaking stereotypes and showing that there doesn’t have to be one type of person that fits into the tech world; that you could be a young woman who likes to code but also likes to indulge themselves in the beauty and fashion worlds too!

W: We love that Woosh Beauty is always on the go with you! Would love to learn more about how it makes life easier for you and any special tricks you’ve learned to achieve your look?

J: So I’ve loved using Woosh Beauty at work. Most times when a spontaneous after-work event comes up and I’m trying to change my look from a professional work look to a post-work vibe, my Fold Out Face makeup palette is my savior. I really have a whole face in like 5 min and I feel much more ready to go out than before.

W: Any advice for young girls balancing school, friends, life? 

J: I would say to take it one day at a time. A lot of the more important lessons I learned in college that I’ve taken into post grad is time management and managing my priorities. Don’t feel bad about saying no to events or not being able to hang out with friends all the time especially if you’re in school, because you are in college to do well and learn. But on the flip side, don’t put so much emphasis on school all the time that you don’t have time to hang out with friends or enjoy life around you. My college experience was great because I made lots of friends and had great memories and sometimes there were memories that we made while studying, but most were out of the classroom and I wouldn’t change those experiences and memories for anything. So hopefully that helps!

W: Anything else you’d like to add? :)

J: To my post grad people, if you don’t have a job yet or are in the period before your full time job starts, take advantage of this time that you’re in! I would love to be able to go back to my summer before I started working and take more advantage of the time I had that I literally had no obligations. Travel! Hang out with your friends! Explore! Learn something new! I miss not having to wait until the weekend to really have time to meet up with friends.