On August 17, 2023, Philadelphia magazine hosted its first-ever Influencer Awards to honor influencers in the Philadelphia community who have made an impact on social media. Among the night’s honorees was Julia Ostrovsky, KLN ’19, who received the inaugural nano-influencer of the year award.
The Nano-Influencer of the Year award goes to an influencer with under five thousand followers with a strong online presence and community.
At the awards ceremony, Ostrovsky met other influencers in the community, local businesses and supporters of Philadelphia magazine. In addition, awardees were offered several perks, such as chef-tasting experiences and tickets to a concert at the Wells Fargo Center.
“I’m very happy with having the recognition and continuing to do what I do,” Ostrovsky said.
From a very involved advertising major to a marketing specialist on the brand strategy team at Victoria’s Secret, Ostrovsky has always used her leadership and creative skills to guide her to new opportunities.
Prior to her arrival at Temple University in 2015, Ostrovsky applied to live in the former Leadership Living Learning Community (LLC) during her freshman year. Through the community, she met Assistant Professor of Instruction Lauren Bullock, who used to run Temple’s Leadership program and Leadership LLC.
“She was really friendly and appreciative and ready to be at Temple,” Bullock said, recounting her first impressions of Ostrovsky.
After taking Bullock’s first-year seminar course, Ostrovsky returned as a teacher’s assistant for the class the following semester. Bullock noted her incredible ability to interact with students and serve as a liaison between them and their professors.
Ostrovsky also participated in the former Diamond Leadership Program at Temple and regularly attended workshops and conferences that amounted to over 25 hours of leadership training and experience. She then took these experiences and flexed her leadership muscle, as she likes to say, by getting involved on campus as an Owl Team Leader, resident assistant and Career Center student worker. By the end of her four years at Temple, Ostrovsky earned a Diamond Award – the highest recognition given to a student by Student Affairs.
Outside of Temple, Ostrovsky served as a campus representative for PINK. Through the program, she got her first chance to dive into the world of social media and was recognized as a top performer within the organization. The experience was so positive that it led her to pursue other marketing opportunities in fashion retail as a post-graduation career goal.
After graduating in 2019, Ostrovsky began working at Urban Outfitters (URBN) Headquarters, supporting their internship and talent development program. In 2020, she accepted an opportunity to return to PINK in a full-time capacity and worked on marketing strategy for PINK Beauty. Additionally, she was able to educate campus representatives about product launches and how to market them— a true full-circle moment.
By July 2022, Ostrovsky had transitioned to Victoria’s Secret, supporting the business on the brand strategy team.
Former Marketing Manager at Victoria’s Secret, Emily VandeRydt, had the pleasure of working with Ostrovsky when she was a campus representative and when she returned to the company in 2020. VandeRydt noted that Ostrovsky always goes above and beyond and is a shining light at Victoria’s Secret.
“She’s such a hard-working person,” VandeRydt said. “She definitely deserves all the recognition in the Philly area.”
Ostrovsky will be featured in the upcoming November issue of Philadelphia magazine and looks forward to continuing her work on social media and at Victoria’s Secret.