From the moment a JCU student steps onto campus, a professor, advisor, or staff member will try to help them in their career. This help can come in many forms, from simple conversations to programs for professional development. Under the spirit of this mission, the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Career Services has developed a new initiative to help anyone where they see a specific need: getting students comfortable in professional clothing and settings.
In the program’s 2019 launch, then titled Project 202, CSDI originally developed a fund for a broader range of items. “We had the idea of supplying hygiene products and winter clothing to all needing them,” said CSDI Director Selen Zarrelli. “People also need access to cultural heritage items, so we wanted to provide that too.” And the program would have been able to pick up steam had the pandemic not happened the following semester. This halted the mission, but it would soon become even better.
When students were fully back on campus in 2022, CSDI rebranded Project 202 to Career Closet in partnership with JCU’s Boler Professional Development Program and the Center for Career Services. The change came from the sense that some students needed assistance to secure professional clothing to help them succeed in their next steps, be it in an interview, career fair, or internship experience.
The teams also had assistance from Kyle Reynolds ‘99, who went through his JCU professional development without the proper clothing. At the end of 2021, Reynolds remembered what it was like to go into an interview surrounded by suits with just a button-down shirt and khaki pants: “I just didn’t want any other student to have that feeling that I did. No one should feel ‘less than’ at a job interview.” Because of that memory, he contacted JCU’s Advancement team to make a targeted donation for Career Closet to get off the ground.
Over two semesters, CSDI s collected clothing such as ties, jackets, shirts, dress bottoms, and cultural heritage items through donations and funds. With this collection, they held four sessions of Career Closet in the DJ Lombardo Student Center for all students to come by and find any item they needed for their professional pursuits. The events were successful, but the Career Closet team felt they could do even better.
Now, in its current phase, Career Wear Closet and Fund have expanded to help students with their wardrobe and connect them with professional development opportunities. The team has put together a webpage on JCU’s site so students can request specific clothing items they need. Those who qualify can shop for this clothing now with the funds Reynolds and other alumni have given. The Closet runs 24/7 from the CSDI office in Suite 202 of the Student Center.
The webpage interaction can help Career Services get in touch with students too. “It’s important to get a sense of where a student is at in their career development,” said Director of Career Services Nikki Marzano, “through this program, we can meet with a student, develop a relationship with them, and coach them through professional development opportunities.”
Ultimately, JCU wants to prepare its students for what comes next for them. Zarrelli put it best: “It’s important that the student feels comfortable in the process. We want to remove as many barriers as possible.” And Career Closet will continue to remove these barriers, a mission JCU will always continue.
If you’re a student or alumni and want to find out more about the Career Wear Closet and Fund, visit the program’s webpage at https://www.jcu.edu/jcu-career-wear-closet-and-fund
