Dressing the part, becoming the role

When one University of Michigan student began her student teaching placement, she quickly noticed something that made her feel out of place.

“I realized I didn’t have enough clothes to blend in with the ‘real’ teachers,” she said.

Moments like this are common as students transition from campus life to professional settings.

While coursework builds the knowledge they need, entering internships, interviews and workplaces often introduces unfamiliar expectations and norms, including how students present themselves.

Business casual and formal clothing may seem like a small detail, but it can shape how prepared—and confident—students feel walking into new environments.

The University Career Center (UCC) helps students navigate these transitions. One of its resources, the UCC Clothes Closet, provides free business casual and formal clothing for students to have for interviews, internships, networking events and other career-related opportunities.

But behind every blazer or pair of dress shoes is a larger goal shared by all UCC programs: helping students build their brand and confidence as professionals while preparing for life after graduation.

It’s only fitting that the Clothes Closet concept came from a fall job and internship fair when a student shared that they wanted to pursue interviews but felt ill-prepared.

The culprit: A lack of attire to wear.

Recognizing the barrier, a small team of UCC staff and the student developed a proposal to create a resource where students could access business casual and formal attire, at no cost.

Donations began arriving in December 2015. A few months later, in April 2016, the first pilot event was held in partnership with a U-M scholarship program.

Initially, the UCC Clothes Closet operated as a series of signature events and individual appointments. By the end of its first year, the program served more than 300 students.

Since then, the program has continued to grow.

From 2016 to 2026, UCC has supported more than 8,000 students, distributed 18,283 items of clothing—enough to stretch nearly 14 miles, or span the length of Michigan Stadium more than 200 times—and partnered with organizations across campus, including Central Student Government, the Spectrum Center, First-Generation College Students at Michigan and the Black Student Union.

Today, students can schedule appointments or attend small events to browse a range of professional items, from suits and blazers to dress shoes and ties.

For many students, the UCC Clothes Closet removes a practical barrier during an already stressful period of time.

“I had an interview coming up and nothing to build the outfit I needed,” an undergraduate engineering student shared. “Everyone at the Clothes Closet was so helpful and it didn’t dent my bank account.”

Another student, an engineering Ph.D. candidate, described a similar experience.

“Throughout my undergraduate career, I presented research at 16 national conferences, always wearing the best casual clothing I could find because I couldn’t afford formal wear,” they said.

By removing the financial burden of attire, the UCC Clothes Closet helps ensure all students can focus on the opportunity in front of them rather than worrying about whether they fit society’s expectations of a professional setting.

Behind the scenes, staff and student team members keep the program running—sorting donations, organizing inventory, and helping students find the right fit.

Alisha Shah, a 2020 U-M alum from the Ross School of Business and former UCC Clothes Closet coordinator, witnessed the program’s growth firsthand. She began working with the initiative while it was still operating as a series of large events and student appointments.

“I definitely remember doing inventory,” Shah said, laughing. “In the beginning, we got a couple of bins of donations, but as I got more into the role we started to get more and more donations. I remember thinking ‘The bins just keep coming.’”

She also remembers the moment she realized how important this work is.

“At the second event I worked at, the number of people who came skyrocketed. It was incredible. After everyone left, the Clothes Closet was gone, emptied out. It was exactly what we wanted.”

If there were lingering doubts, the response confirmed the need was real. For Shah, the impact of the UCC Clothes Closet was undeniable.

“At a place like the University of Michigan, it can be easy to feel out of place. It seems like everyone else knows what they’re doing,” she said.

“What is really unique about the Clothes Closet is that it closes that gap and doesn’t make people feel as out of place.”

For many students, visiting the Clothes Closet is their first interaction with the UCC, but it often becomes the beginning of a longer relationship.

What starts with finding the right outfit opens the door to other forms of career support.

Through coaching appointments, workshops and employer events, the UCC helps students reflect on their experiences, identify the skills they’ve developed and learn how to communicate those strengths to employers.

In today’s job market, that process matters more than ever.

“A degree alone does not guarantee a career,” said Louise E. Jackson, UCC’s director. “Students also need to understand the skills they’ve developed and learn how to tell that story through conversations with employers and professional networks.”

The UCC supports that work by connecting students with opportunities to explore careers, build networks and gain experience through platforms like Handshake, the University Career Alumni Network and employer engagement programs.

For Shah, the Clothes Closet showed just how meaningful the first step can be. Watching students walk in unsure and leave feeling ready for an interview left a lasting impression.

“A lot of what I learned from Joelle Fundaro Randall, and from working at the Clothes Closet, I think about often in my work now. When I think about the people I work with, the teams I want to create, and the way I want to hold myself accountable at work, I try to think about what it means to be inclusive,” Shah said.

“Not everyone comes from the same background, and they may not have the same understanding, but there is always a way to make everyone feel included.”

By removing financial barriers to professional clothing, the program helps ensure students can show up to opportunities feeling prepared and confident rather than worrying about whether they belong in the room.

The experience may begin with something simple—finding a blazer or pair of shoes that fits. But the impact reaches further.

It might be the moment a student starts to actually see themselves in a new role. More than a collection of donated clothes, the UCC Clothes Closet helps students step forward with confidence as they shape their futures.