NATCHEZ — Marli Vaughan, 16, is a great believer in fashion.

“It doesn’t matter who you are,” Vaughan said. “You can always find something for you.”

The Cathedral High School student got the chance to dive into the fashion world when she participated in Mississippi State University’s FashionPrep15: Metamorphosis on June 12-19.

At high school, Vaughan is active in cheerleading and soccer.

“She’s a great listener,” Cathedral High School soccer coach Beth Foster said. “You don’t have to tell her twice what to do.”

Foster also said Vaughan takes what people tell her and tries to improve.

“She takes criticism,” Foster said. “She doesn’t shy away from it.”

This past year, Vaughan was injured, which prevented her from playing the last few games of the season. Despite not being able to play, Foster said Vaughan attended every game.

However, fashion is her first love.

“I really want to go into fashion merchandising,” Vaughan said.

She’s also considering going into marketing. It was her interest in the industry that prompted her mother, Melissa Vaughan, to tell her about Mississippi State University’s FashionPrep program last year.

This year, she returned for FashionPrep15: Metamorphosis.

“It’s half design and half merchandising and marketing,” Vaughan said.

At the beginning of the course, Vaughan’s instructors told her to create a mission statement to teach her about marketing and branding. After some thought, she wrote, “I am committed to encouraging others to find and better themselves through fashion.”

It’s what Vaughan wants to do if she ever opens a store.

Vaughan participated in a variety of activities at the camp, including designing a dress out of a pillowcase for the Little Dresses for Africa Campaign and sketching out clothing ideas.

During one workshop she made a pillow and dyed the pillowcase blue.

“Blue is my favorite color,” Vaughan said.

During Vaughan’s favorite activity, she was taken to a series of shops.

“We got to dress up the mannequins, and that was really fun,” Vaughan said.

When camp ended, Vaughan returned to home to her mother and father, Hays Vaughan. She also has a brother, Nolan Vaughan, 21.

When she graduates, Vaughan has her heart set on majoring in design and merchandising. She’s considering MSU, the University of Mississippi or the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in California.

No matter where she goes though, the possibilities fashion presents is always going to be a big draw.

“There’s never not going to be anything you don’t like in fashion,” Vaughan said.