By KA Davis, Social Media Specialist
To graduate from Auburn as a Fashion Merchandising student, I am required to do an internship. Since my scholarship was only good for 8 semesters this internship ended up landing on my spring semester of senior year. I have been working for the Auburn Office of Sustainability for going on 2 years now and hoped that instead of getting a new job, I could intern with them for class credit. They are not a fashion designer or brand, so I thought there was a slim chance of them fitting the requirements for my internship, but I was wrong…
Campus Career Closet
In fact, the morning I made my way to my internship coordinator’s office to ask her, she had been looking for me. She wanted to introduce me to an on-campus project I could spearhead for my internship in partnership with the Office of Sustainability:
This campus effort is located in Mary Martin Hall and each academic year each student is able to pick up 4 items. The office helps to serve students who cannot afford clothing for interviews or professional events and connects to the part of the Auburn Creed that says:
“I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.”
The Campus Career Closet is essential in supporting our Auburn Family and setting up all members of it up for success as they graduate. Our college has a wealth divide, and the closet exists to assist in closing it.
The problem? Over 58% of students who visit the Campus Career Closet cannot be serviced due to a lack of resources. And it is not in the way you might think.
Bags filled with donated clothes.
The closet gets many donations, in fact multiple offices within the closet are covered with trash bags full of clothes. The issue is not quantity, it is quality. Only 20% of the clothing brought into the closet actually gets hung on the rack. Currently, the main donors of the closet are widowers who are cleaning out their husband’s closet and donating his XXL suits to his alma mater. The clothes coming in are too big, outdated, and some aren’t even business professional.
I was entrusted with this project to drive meaningful change for Auburn Students.
But how?
At the Office of Sustainability, I have been taught the first step is always to meet with people, listening and focusing on connection and collaboration. Asking:
“What is our shared vision for the future and what are the steps that separate us from that vision and our current reality?’
I started the process by interviewing different areas of campus. Specifically, I interviewed:
Through the process of these interviews, I have come to understand how complex the inner workings of creating change within an educational institution are and just how long the process can take.
KA interviewing Mike.
The Office of Sustainability was my first interview, and I wanted to start broad with the question:
“How do we solve problems?”
I interviewed my boss Mike, and his response was simple:
“We don’t.”
When we see the world as problems, we expend much energy on fixing them- dwelling on the bad and wishing it back to good. Mike argues that this is not productive. Instead of solving a problem, we must envision a new reality entirely. Creation gives it does not take. It brings energy and life. Rather than starting with where we are now, we must begin with the dream. Then, we have the freedom to figure out what is missing from our current reality when we put it against the vision. That is where the next step is found.
Donella Meadows says:
“The future can’t be predicted, but it can be envisioned and brought lovingly into being.”
We cannot hate a problem enough to solve it; we must instead love something enough to bring it to life. This simple change in mindset is the key to the future. It is the key to avoid burnout. With it, there is no failure, there is just creation.
This conversation changed my mind set going forth into the project.
Campus Career Closet
I am not fixing anything. I have the opportunity to contribute to the future I want to create. A future where Auburn Students have the resources, they need for success. A future where fashion is circular and old clothes are given a new purpose through the Auburn Career Closet. Where students feel taken care of and advocated for. Where sustainability is the standard because…
“We believe in Auburn and love it.”
Throughout this process, I will be documenting my journey in creating the future I want to see, including the highs and lows, being vulnerable enough to show that transformation and progress are close friends with setbacks and resilience. I invite you to follow along as I navigate what it means to be a changemaker.
