Tatiana Gallardo FCLC '19: The Bold Type
by Erin Lostraglio
The Bold Type—it’s not just a show on Freeform, but how some would likely describe Tatiana Gallardo. For those who are familiar with the show, it is easy to recognize the parallels between the female characters and Gallardo. A solo world traveler. A bold, award-winning writer who is not afraid to challenge the status quo or share personal hardships. Two years ago, Tatiana Gallardo was an undergraduate English major at Fordham University Lincoln Center, writing about how much she hated dogs for The Observer. Two years later, it is still their most widely read op-ed.
In November 2018, Gallardo wrote the highly controversial op-ed piece, I Hate Dogs and I Am Not a Horrible Person. “I reached my breaking point living in the city that claims to be the most inclusive,” said Gallardo, “the second I’d say ‘I hate dogs,’ they would look at me like I’m an animal myself, you know, like ‘you’re disgusting.’”
While she knew she wanted it to have a click-bait title, she did not expect the piece to become so popular. Though much of the feedback she received was angry, she also received many positive comments from empathetic readers. She felt it was important to take a bold stance against the canine-loving majority and let readers know that whether you like or dislike dogs does not define who you are as a person.
Gallardo admits that dogs are cute, but she does not let those puppy dog eyes control her life. She found that her unpopular opinion of dogs often made for great conversation. As a matter of fact, it was one of the reasons she landed a job right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We hired her because she hates dogs,” Gallardo’s boss said, while introducing Gallardo to her new colleagues, via Zoom. At first, Gallardo was mortified, “I didn’t want to be known as the dog hater, but it’s become a conversation starter everywhere I go.”
With a minor in Visual Arts, Gallardo crafted a website, dedicated to her love of writing: www.vividtatiana.com. She was offered a position at R/GA, as a Verbal Designer, after her boss came across her website and read some of her published work, including her photo essay about her 96-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer’s Disease, for which she won the Suzanna Cohen Legacy Foundation Award.
A screenshot of Tatiana’s website
In addition to her “I Hate Dogs” piece, Gallardo finds that her website also provides many great talking points during job interviews. She encourages others to have a website, as a supplement to a resume, especially for those who are looking for work in the creative sector. “I want my website to be my resume and more, because it captures me and the things that I’m interested in that don’t necessarily have a place on my resume.”
Gallardo discovered her love for creative writing during her early years at Fordham University, while on a solo backpacking trip in South America, after booking a one-way ticket. Such a journey has the ability to change a person, and in Gallardo’s case, it encouraged her to make a bold career decision. “The girl who left on the trip wanted to be a divorce attorney. The girl that came back was like, ‘I have no clue what I want to do, but I want to be creative’.” She found true enjoyment in taking pictures and writing about the world around her, “It fueled me and excited me,” she says. The beautiful scenes made her realize there is so much more to life than being confined to working in an ugly office space.
Following her trip, Gallardo decided to major in English, with a minor in Visual Arts, and hit the ground running with her studies--graduating a semester early in December 2019. “I was so done with college.”
Gallardo was ready to get to work and utilize her newly acquired skillset. A common misconception about English majors is that they often only go on to pursue a career as an English teacher, when, in fact, it is arguably one of the most versatile degrees. “I have English major grammar chops,” Gallardo says, “It’s the most flexible major ever, and I’m 100 percent an advocate for it.”
Having a degree in English prepared Gallardo for her current position as a verbal designer at R/GA, because part of her job includes analyzing diction, syntax and style—the very foundation of an English degree—and further provides opportunities to build rapport with others in the English community. “In the same way that a visual designer might create a logo and color scheme to build the visual identity of a brand, verbal designers do that, but with language,” Gallardo explained. “It is such a hybrid of both the visual and the writing that I love.”
Now that Gallardo has settled into her new job, she hopes to find more time for creative writing and add to her already impressive portfolio, with topics such as “resting Zoom face”, which is something every Fordham student and working professional can probably relate to. Gallardo would also like to write a follow-up to her emotional piece, Mom, Please Stop Taking Care of Grandma.
Gallardo’s advice to other English majors is to take as many creative writing courses as possible, such as Professor Stone’s Writer’s Workshop; get involved with Fordham’s literary clubs and publishers; and try to get at least one internship under your belt. “There's so much opportunity across New York City that I felt overwhelmed with opportunity...there's so much I can do here, and I want to do it all!” Gallardo said with graduating seniors, especially to those concerned about the pandemic and current job market, in mind.