Utah Valley University students held a free professional clothing event on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the Clarke Building concourse in Orem. The PowerSuit Project, organized by students in the UVU Department of Communications, aimed to provide students with professional attire, headshots, and resume assistance.
According to a November 9 report, the event offered a variety of gently used business clothing, including blazers, dress shirts, slacks, skirts, dresses, shoes, scrubs, and accessories. The inclusion of scrubs was intended to assist students entering clinical and health programs. In addition to clothing, the event featured an on-site professional photographer for headshots and a table dedicated to helping students with their resumes. Sydney Wilson, a UVU junior, helped organize the event, while Bethany Simko served as the PowerSuit Project director. Wilson stated that the goal is for students to feel comfortable and confident in their clothing items.
The initiative addresses the rising living costs and competitive job market faced by students, which can make professional attire a barrier to entering the workforce. Organizers were still collecting donations at the time of the November 9 report. Campus drop-off locations included the food court, the second floor of the Fulton Library, the fifth floor of the Clarke Building near faculty offices, and the Keller Building by the elevator.
The PowerSuit Project is a recurring effort at UVU. A previous version of the event was run by the UVU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which offered business attire and headshots from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences marketing and communication team. That earlier event was held on March 23.
While the event was designed to support students, organizers noted that space for extra items is limited. For students seeking ongoing career support, the UVU Career & Internship Center is located in room LC-409 and offers mock interviews with career counselors through Handshake.
