Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet

The Living Well Community Resource Center and Career Services teamed up to make Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet. Vanguard University has not only supported its students by opening up a food pantry, but also a career closet, Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet. Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet is credited to a handful of students and professors who opened up the career closet in December of 2020. 

What is Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet? 

Amanda Labrecht, the Associate Dean of Students Success, has worked hand in hand with Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet and said, “The career closet provides Vanguard students with professional attire and resources such as headshots for their interviews, career fairs, and/or networking events.”

The university understands that first impressions are vital, Labrecht explained, “The Living Well Community Resource Center and Career Services have joined forces to ensure our students make a great and competitive first impression.”

Labrecht shared how they were inspired by other institutions who paved the way. According to Labrecht, Cal Poly Pomona and the University of California Riverside worked closely with them in setting up the career closet.

Labrecht also credits Working Wardrobes and stated, “Working Wardrobes was also an incredible partner to us.” When asking Labrecht about the location of Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet, Labrecht stated, “The Career Closet is permanent but the location in the former Samson’s Coffee Shop is not yet permanent. We’re hopeful we’ll get to keep the location though.” 

Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet cannot be credited to simply one individual. Some individuals who deserve credit for coming up with the idea are alumni Ecstassy Mendoza, Adrian Delgado Garcia, Sonya Morris, and Kimberly Alcala. While these individuals may not be attending Vanguard anymore, they’ve undoubtedly left an impact. 

Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet has received coverage from the local Orange County Register as well as the Daily Pilot. Labrecht said, “Due to the television and newspaper coverage, our donations come from within Vanguard and local communities.”

Kimberly Pena Mendez, a senior majoring in Psychology and student worker at Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet, shares, “We enjoy providing that additional support to students and also appreciate those who also donate to us.” 

So, how does Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet work? 

Well, Amanda Labrecht has you covered with step by step instructions:

1. Students make an appointment with Career Services. 
2. When their appointment with Career Services is set, they can get help for a variety of different things including resume assistance, mock interviews, job shadowing, internship preparation, etc.
3. Once they’ve completed a meeting with Career Services, students make an appointment in Handshake to go into Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet (while signing up for the appointment they answer questions about their clothing preferences including the size, etc.).
4. When they come into their appointment, a personal shopper will have items pulled for them to choose from. 
5. The guest will choose items to try on in the dressing room.
6. Finally, once the student has made their decision on their selected items, they checkout and they are good to go! 

A very happy student who was glad to share her experience at Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet was Hannah Navarro, a senior majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.

Navarro shared how Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet helped her put together the perfect outfit for her internship interview. She went on to state, “I was lucky enough to have been helped by Kimberly Pena Mendez. She was so kind and patient with me throughout the entire process”. 

So Vanguard students, if you are interested in checking out Samon’s Career Pop-Up Closet, be sure to make an appointment with Career Services. To learn more about Samson’s Career Pop-Up Closet, check them out at https://www.vanguard.edu/resources/academic-resource-center/samsons-career-pop-up-closet.