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Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and UWO student Emily Olson hang donated clothing in the Career Closet.

Getting students dressed for success is the goal of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Career Closet.

Since its 2013 inception, the goal of the Career Closet is to provide professional attire to students who are preparing for an interview, internship or other professional opportunity. UW Oshkosh students can select up to four items of clothing to keep each semester, free of charge.

This week, Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch made a trip to UW Oshkosh to show her support for the Career Closet—with donations from her and her husband’s personal closets as well as with some items collected from her colleagues at the state capitol. Kleefisch also delivered a letter of recognition to Career Services as an acknowledgement of the UW Oshkosh service.

“What we hear every day is that young people have to be prepared for jobs,” Kleefisch said. “This (Career Closet) helps young people set off on the right foot for those opportunities. Career Closet is a wonderful and practical solution to help students acquire the attire they need for the jobs they want.”

Since the Career Closet opened, more than 900 students have been provided with professional attire, something the Career Services team at UW Oshkosh is very proud of.

“Career Services does everything we can to get our students ready for the workforce and professional internship opportunities,” said Jaime Page-Stadler, director of Career Services. “The Career Closet was created based on employer feedback—students need to make a great first impression and the program ties directly to our mission of preparing students to transition from college into professional roles.”

Emily Olson, a senior studying human services at UW Oshkosh, works at the Career Closet by way of an internship. She said it was really exciting to have Kleefisch on campus making a donation to a service she cares so deeply about.

“When students realize the types of donations we get, I hope they’ll think, ‘hey, that’s something on campus I should check out,'” Olson said.

Students who are interested in utilizing the Career Closet can either drop by Career Services, which is located within the Student Success Center on Elmwood Ave., or make an appointment. The Career Closet is open to undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni in their first semester after graduation, Olson said.

Donations can be made the Career Closet by individuals or organizations; a drop-off site is located outside Career Services.

“I invite UW Oshkosh’s friends from across the Fox Cities to join me in supporting these hardworking students by donating gently used professional clothing as the Titans get ready for interviews and internships,” Kleefisch said.

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