Starr Center gives away professional women’s attire
May 15, 2023
Baruch College’s Starr Career Development Center helped students dress for success with a professional clothing giveaway event on May 10.
Students perused racks lined with professional women’s formal attire of every size and style — ranging from neutral slacks to brightly colored cardigans — and selected up to three items to take home free of charge in a space called the “Starr Boutique.”
The event, which took place in room 2-190 of the William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., was attended by upward of 60 students, some of which were lined up an hour before doors opened.
“The boutique exists to help students kickstart their professional career,” Marlen Fernandez Herrera, the assistant director of the Starr Center’s “Peers for Careers” program, told The Ticker. “Students can take items that they need and hopefully they’ll be able to use them for their upcoming internships, interviews, networking events or coffee chats.”
Upon entering, attendees were greeted by full racks of lightly worn, freshly cleaned clothing donated by Baruch alumni, staff and faculty. Items were sorted into two categories — formal and business casual — within which they were further separated by type, color and size.
The Starr Center hosted two similar events since Baruch’s return to in-person instruction following the COVID-19 pandemic, including one in spring 2022 and another in February. This semester’s events were the first of its kind where items were given away at no cost.
In the past, students were either charged a nominal fee, typically ranging from $1 to $10 per clothing item, or be expected to return the item after use.
Fernandez Herrera estimated that students took home about 80 items from the most recent clothing giveaway and that a total of 500 students benefited from the past three events.
Cassandra Greco, a junior at Baruch, came to the event in search of professional blazers or “something I could use for interviews.”
“Fashion is so important,” Greco said. “Especially if what I’m wearing makes me feel confident. It’s important to be able to put on business attire but still feel true to yourself.”
