Tima Dasouki (Pardee ’22) Establishes BU Professional Clothing Closet
The Boston University Professional Clothing Closet, founded by Tima Dasouki (Pardee ’22), opened its doors on March 14, 2022.
Located in the Yawkey Center for Student Services, the closet provides students with free professional attire appropriate for interviews, networking events, career fairs, and the workplace. All inventory – suits and similar professional attire – is received through donations and clothing drives. Clothing will be constantly cycled through on an ongoing donation basis. Organizers will release more information on the location of collection bins and future clothing drives online in due time.
Dasouki developed the project after realizing the costly demands unpaid internships can have on low-income students – especially those who are first-generation like herself. Dasouki collaborated with both the BU Newbury Center and the BU Center for Career Development to bring the project to life, recruiting volunteers and raising over $20,000 in funds.
“Unpaid internships can really take a toll on students,” Dasouki said in an interview with The Daily Free Press. “There’s transportation costs, there’s costs of not being able to work a different job while you’re working that internship and then there’s the clothing cost…I wanted to make sure that students feel empowered when they walk into any interview or job opportunity.”
To learn more about the Professional Clothing Closet, visit the Center for Career Development’s website. Articles on the closet can be read on The Daily Free Press and BU Today‘s websites.