In Spring 2023, a conference at James Madison University sparked an idea: to create a free, accessible resource where students could find professional attire for interviews, internships and other career opportunities. That idea became the Longwood Career Closet, which opened in Spring 2024, operated by the Office of Alumni and Career Services
Director of Campus Career Engagement Megan Miller saw the James Madison University career closet and started toying with the idea of bringing a career closet to Longwood University. Miller realized that there was a need for a closet on campus, as students didn’t have reliable access to professional clothing for interviews and internships.
“One of [students’] anxieties was, ‘I don't even know what to wear, and I don't have anything to wear,’” Miller said. “I came back here and brought it up, but it didn't really get momentum. And then, when [Dr. Elizabeth Narehood] started in August of 2023, she was able to get the ball rolling.”
In August of 2023, Senior Director of Career and Professional Services Dr. Elizabeth Narehood arrived on campus. Once she began her role, Miller and Narehood collaborated to get the project moving.
First, they needed to actually find the clothing for the closet. “We reached out to our alumni. Longwood has an incredibly involved and supportive alumni base, and so we contacted all the alumni we knew.”
According to Miller, Narehood spearheaded the campaign to earn donations. She worked closely with the Office of Institutional Advancement, which helped with fundraising and connecting with alumni.
Miller said the office received a significant number of donations, including both clothing and monetary contributions. One particularly generous donation from a donor who chose to remain anonymous allowed Career Services to design the closet to best serve students. “We had to hire a custom closet designer that came in and designed it and did the install, and then some of that money was used to buy the supplies that we didn't already have,” she said.
In late Spring 2024, the Career Closet opened in the Maugans Alumni Center. Miller described it as a space where Longwood students can find modern business and business-casual attire to incorporate into their existing wardrobes. Each semester, students can book an appointment to visit the closet and select up to five items, free of charge.
Inside the closet, students can find clothing for both men and women, as well as shoes, jewelry, Longwood-branded polos and other accessories.
Miller also shared her vision for the closet’s future. She said, “I’d love to see students coming into the closet more than once, and using it to build [their professional wardrobe] over time.”
“The Career Closet helps supplement their already existing wardrobe. So where a student may have tops that are okay, they need business bottoms, or maybe they need a jacket or a sweater that will pull their look together,” she added.”
“It has been wildly successful. We have had hundreds of students come through every year,” she said.
Students can make appointments for the Career Closet through Handshake.
