Hello! My name is Stephanie Drenka, and I am a Dallas blogger, social influencer, and minimalist. This eponymous website is where I document my thoughts, travels, life, and occasional outfit of the day.
I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea at the age of 3 months. I’ve lived previously in Chicago, Atlanta, and New Jersey, but ended up making my home in Dallas. In high school, I was heavily involved in show choir and theater.
My very first job was as a performer in the Crazy Horse Saloon show at Six Flags Over Texas. I am a classically trained singer (mezzo soprano), though nowadays my performances are limited to karaoke nights and playing showtunes on our mid-century console piano handed down from my mom.
I received my Bachelor of Arts in Communication from DePaul University, minoring in Asian American Studies and Women’s Studies. During my junior year there, I served as president of the Asian Cultural Exchange, which won the Organization of the Year award from the university. In 2008, the now-defunct Asian Week Magazine named me one of “Ten Asian American Young Women Who Will Change the World” for my work as a steering committee member of the Support 121 Coalition, a grassroots effort that helped pass U.S. House Resolution 121 (aka the “Comfort Women Resolution”) which called upon Japan to issue a formal apology for the sexual enslavement of more than 200,000 women and girls during World War II.
I’ve served on the executive board of Mid-Cities Supporters of Safe Haven as VP of Publicity and as an Event Chair for Holt International Adoption Agency’s Dallas Benefit for Children with Special Needs.
I was previously the Strategic Optimization Manager at rewardStyle, working with fellow bloggers to help optimize their websites, improve social media engagement, and increase sales conversations. My nickname was “The Fairyblogmother” and I still carry that moniker with pride in my heart.
These days, I’ve found my home in the non-profit world as the Digital Marketing Manager at a local organization where I’m able to leverage my passion for the performing arts, photography, visual communications and technology to promote creative educational programs for Dallas youth in under-resourced neighborhoods.
As an INFJ Myers-Briggs Personality Type (with an Altruistic Service Predictive Index Pattern), my ultimate goal in life is to leave the world a better place than I found it. I am a committed advocate for equity, access, and representation. I believe in authenticity, transparency, and ethical blogging through a lens of intersectional feminism and racial/social justice.
Theory of Change
By creating authentic, ethical content for this site about topics and brands whose missions align with her personal vision, Stephanie Drenka aims to expand consumer knowledge and attitudes about socially-conscious products along with issues of social justice and equity, which will encourage responsible purchasing behavior and meaningful community engagement, leading to greater social impact.