SGA will host Dress for Success event for free professional clothing

Students in every field will soon be looking for careers or internships, as they get ready to take the knowledge and skills that they have learned in the classroom, and apply them in the real world. The community here at NVU – Johnson has been generous enough to host an event called Dinner With the Boss. During this event, students will have the opportunity to speak with potential employers and show off their resumes. Before being interviewed, students are often told, “Dress to impress.” Well, this year, the SGA is saying, “Dress for SUCCESS!” We are here to help take a bit of the anxiety away as you prepare to show the world what you have to offer!

Throughout the 2018-2019 academic year, I have been working with our SGA president, Jessica Malskis, and Director of Career Development, Beth Walsh in order to put together an event prior to Dinner With the Boss. We are calling it Dress for Success! On Wed, March 27, students will be able to make a quick trip to Stearns performance space and choose from a selection of clean, fresh, and exciting dress clothes that they believe… wait for it… “suits” them! These clothes have been generously donated by community members and other students who no longer need them, and have recognized that money does not exactly come as easy as, say, astrophysics. (Get it? Finding money is harder than astrophysics. Take that, Brian May!) For this reason, the event is entirely free, and will even include entry into a raffle just for showing up. Better stick around if you want the prize, though!

Now, we know that students may start to feel a little overwhelmed when it comes time to start thinking about what to do after college. (Just stop being stressed, am I right?) We understand, since we are all students ourselves here at the SGA, and have reached out to the Alumni Council for some inspiration. Originally, we had considered asking if alumni would be available to come and perhaps deliver a short motivational speech but later decided that it would be better to ask for small, pocket inspirations instead. So what are pocket inspirations?

Oh, I’m so glad you asked; I can already feel myself getting giddy! At each table or coat rack, we plan to have a short piece of advice or quote from former Johnson students, in order to remind current students that they have all experienced what we are going through, and that although it’s stressful, we can do whatever we set our minds to! Neither Cyndi Lauper nor Tom Cruise had any interest in doing this for us… strange… But hey, they made it, and we can too! In addition, if you’re interested, we already have someone to do hair and a student who is willing to do headshots. As a man with somewhat of a receding hairline, I was personally thankful for this part. We will also be providing a resume triage at this event to TIE it all together!

Since the clothing is donated, I guess you could say that people are quite literally giving the shirt off their backs for this event, so hats off to them for saying “Shoo” (shoe?) to one of the nasty expenses that come with adulting. (I didn’t get a red line under “adulting.” Is that actually a word now?) Either way, this event is perfect for anyone trying to save money and secure their career. Again, it will be on March 27, starting at 4 p.m., and will have something for students of all sizes, shapes, and styles. I would say it is also open to all species because I love animals, and it would make me very happy to see your pets, but I think people would get mad at me if I told you that you could bring your pets into Stearn’s. Bummer.
Anyway, we are very excited to host this year’s Dress for Success event. We will have tables in the Fireside Lounge the week of the event in order to provide additional information, perhaps with sample clothing on display. We also hope to have ways of getting more than just one raffle ticket, but we’ll keep you updated on that, for sure! So, if you are also a college student who is feeling overwhelmed, need a bit of support, or just want some new professional clothing, come and hang out with us during this event. Pick out something you like, and maybe win a prize! We hope to see you there!