Impacting students: professional closet on campus

Fresno State never stops doing whatever it can to find a way to help students. In April of 2016 the Clothing Closet opened at the Thomas Frank Building. A professional wardrobe that has helped more than 1,700 students. Debbie Young, the Director of the Career Development Center thought of this idea when she talked to a student who really impacted her.

“One day he came in and he said to me, Debbie, do I buy a suit and tie for an interview or do I buy Christmas presents for my kids. Around the same time a woman had called me whose husband was a prominent local dentist and he had passed away suddenly and she had clothes with tags and tissue paper that were brand new so she said she really wanted to give it to some place where people would value the clothes and maybe use it in a professional way,” said Young.

Many alumni and staff donate clothing to help feed the closet. The more the word gets out the more donations the closet has received from so many people and places within the Fresno community.

Criminology student, Tyler Verburg, has benefited from the closet and truly believes in the value it provides for so many students like himself. “I think that every single person should come here whether they have a suit or not.”

Students are able to take three pieces of clothing and visit the clothing closet once a semester. They just need to swipe their ID card and it’s that easy. Students find amazing pieces of clothing that help them look good, confident and professional while looking for their next step after college.

“This resource is one of the most outstanding and one of the most beneficiary for any Fresno state students – I think it’s really important that they should come here,” said Verburg.

You can also help donate professional clothes by contacting the Career Development Center at Fresno State.