Students traded in their normal clothes for professional suits, blazers and dresses on Thursday, March 24, at the First Annual Sailing into Success Fashion Show presented by Shippensburg University’s Career, Mentoring and Professional Development Center (CMPDC). The show was to promote the center’s very own Raider Ready Professional Dress Closet where students can get one free professional outfit per semester.
José Ricardo-Osorio, an SU Global Languages professor, kicked off the event with announcements, and then the show was on. Almost 30 Shippensburg students modeled business casual, professional and everyday workwear as well as some closet staples such as cardigans and ties.
“The process of going through rehearsals and working with the other student models and all the people involved — staff, faculty and the First Lady — was so fun,” Skylar Walder, student model, said. “The whole planning committee did an incredible job of preparing us to show, not only what we were wearing, but to also be confident.”
Colleen Patterson, first lady of Shippensburg University worked alongside the Career, Mentoring and Professional Development Center staff and student models to aid in organizing the event.
DJ Ebony Jeter kept the audience engaged with some popular music. At intermission, Alix Rouby, director of internships, hosted a game of Kahoot in which students competed for $100 gift cards to the campus bookstore.
The Fashion Show also provided students with the opportunities to get headshot photos taken for LinkedIn profiles and to try on some professional clothing themselves with a pop-up version of the Raider Ready Professional Dress Closet.
The event kicked off Shippensburg University’s Career Week, a week-long culmination of everything students need to succeed professionally before, during and after graduation. Other Career Week events include Resumania at the Career Center in CUB 108 on March 28, where students can get their resume checked and edited, a virtual Job Fair Success Workshop on both March 29 and 30 at 3:30 p.m. and a Job and Internship Fair on March 31 from 1 to 5 p.m. in the CUB MPR.
“The CMPDC prepares you for life,” Walder explained. “They teach you how to dress, how to interact with potential employers and really how to show who you are without selling yourself short. All the staff are so supportive and always has our backs as students getting ready for the real world.”
For further career support, the CMPDC is open Monday to Wednesday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To set up an appointment with the CMPDC, call 717 477-4066 or email career@ship.edu.
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