A group of visionary student leaders is addressing a critical yet often overlooked barrier to career advancement: access to professional attire.
The Career Closet — a collaborative effort initiated by students in SCSU’s Gold Leadership Program, in partnership with the Office of Career and Professional Development, Buley Library, SAGE Center, and the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership Development — provides students with free access to professional clothing for job interviews, internships, and networking events. Each student can select up to three items at no cost, ensuring they can approach professional opportunities with confidence, regardless of financial constraints.
Jordan Cervantes was one of the students leading the project. He said the idea came about after he and his classmates conducted a survey that showed the demand for professional clothing.
“We identified that this is something that students are really interested in, something that they really need,” Cervantes said.
“I feel like we’re in the era of fast fashion where clothes are made with less quality than they have been before, so people donating their older clothes tend to be better quality, they last longer,” graduate student Romeo Rivera said.
Rachel Cunningham-Exavier, assistant director of experiential learning with the Office of Career and Professional Development, said they are looking forward to expanding the initiative.
“We’re going to ask our community partners and internal community to donate professional clothing and monetarily so we can continue this work and even make it greater,” Cunningham-Exavier said.
The SOAR (Support, Opportunities, Access and Resiliency) Fund, which helps fund initiatives such as the Career Closet, raised over $34,000 during this April’s Day of Caring, ensuring students are equipped with reliance, knowledge, and action to live healthy lives at Southern and beyond.
The initiative has garnered local media attention, including a feature by NBC Connecticut and a story in the Arts Council of Greater New Haven’s Arts Paper:
🔗 SCSU Meets Student Needs with Free Professional Attire (NBC Connecticut)
🔗 In New “Career Closet,” SCSU Students Get A Professional Boost (Arts Paper)
