Students do not need to open their wallet to get a new suit or dress for that upcoming job interview.
The Career Center is hosting a new event called Suited for Success on Feb. 27 in the Union. The event will allow students to come in from 12-6 p.m. and pick from a selection of donated professional clothing they’d wear to a job interview or work.
Joelle Fundaro, a graduate assistant in the Career Center and coordinator of the event, said the drive is student-led and student-focused.
She and a group of Career Center student ambassadors have been taking clothing donations over the past month, and have been organizing features for the event, such as a photo booth and dressing rooms.
“There is a need on campus for there to be an event like this,” Fundaro said. “Some students are unable to afford suits and professional clothing, and it can become a real confidence issue when going to talk to a potential employer.”
Sophomore Alex Partyka said he may stop by the clothing drive to see what donations are being offered.
“It would be nice to improve my business wardrobe,” he said. “The University has job expos all the time, so it’s good to have nicer clothes available for those events.”
In addition to the clothing donations, the store Maurices will be donating gift cards that will be raffled off to students throughout the day.
Maria Nar, a student ambassador, said the Career Center has received donations from students, faculty and staff, as well as local businesses, companies and the Firelands campus.
“Our intention is to prepare this event annually, so the more support we can get from the community, the better,” she said.
Many staff and faculty members have been in their career for long periods of time, and have built up a large enough wardrobes that there are some items they feel they don’t need, Fundaro said.
Jill Carr, vice president of student affairs, said she donated professional clothing to the event because she wants students to be as successful as possible while on their job search.
“Not all of our students can afford to go purchase brand new clothing for interviews. We want our students to be successful in the job market,” Carr said. “A donation of some business-style clothing could help defray some of the expense associated with finding that important first job out of college.”
The goal for the event is for there to be at least 100 articles of clothing to choose from and to help students find something they feel comfortable and confident wearing, Fundaro said.
Suited for Success is the first event of its kind. It will be an annual event held in the fall, continuing this coming fall with any clothing that is leftover from this first event.
