Paulina Alvarado Serrano is a tough and tender, Mexican-American strategist, living and working in New York City.

Her fascination with brands began at the age of seven when her older brother got his first skateboard. The pinnacle of cool had been realized, and she wanted in.

Completely lacking the skills it takes to skate, she would have to get creative.

Alas, with scissors and construction paper, she recreated the Hurley and Volcom logos and taped them to her bedroom wall.

There it was—her own badge of cool. And there she was, without a clue that the feeling of fulfillment was by mere association with skate culture. Oh, branding.

As Paulina grew older, she would study Art History and row crew at the University of Washington in Seattle; forecast trends at Nordstrom headquarters (think Dr. Evil’s Seattle office) and launch licensed brands at a global skateboarding retailer.

She later received her Masters in Branding from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, the first program of its kind.

Currently, Paulina leads Research and Strategy at Champions Design and serves on the board of AIGA NY.