“You should always look the part, especially in journalism,” said Micah Bledsoe, president of
NABJ at ASU.
Bledsoe approached Keith Jenkins, president of the professional chapter, Arizona Association of Black Journalists (AZABJ), in November 2018 with the idea for the NABJ Closet Clothing Drive.
Bledsoe said the organization wanted to give students at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication the opportunity to dress the part for internships, interviews and even classes. The drive is expected to be held in early April.
Jenkins said he thought Bledsoe’s idea for the clothing drive was an amazing plan.
“That first impression is very important,” Jenkins said. “If I walk into a room in a suit
and tie, I’m treated much differently than if I walk into a room wearing a fitted hat and some Jordan’s.”
Bledsoe said the NABJ at ASU is working with the professional chapter and other organizations at Cronkite to collect as many articles of clothing as possible to donate to other students who are beginning their career in college or in journalism.
“We really want to help students get affordable clothing,” Bledsoe said.
She added that AZABJ can also help students learn what styles they should wear and how they should present themselves, especially when it comes to hair and makeup.
Glenn Williams, a former human resources officer, life coach and the owner of MPROVE, LLC, said students should keep outfits tasteful when looking for something to wear for a job interview or a conference.
“You want to stay with muted colors, probably some blacks and browns,” he said. “You don’t want to come into an interview with flashy colors or something that will bring too much attention to yourself.”
Williams said dressing appropriately for interviews shows the employer that the interviewee is serious about the opportunity and they are trying to present themselves in the best way possible.
“You, the entire package, are making a statement about yourself for the first time,” Williams said.
Jenkins said the NABJ Closet is an opportunity for the professional chapter to give back and provide for those who don’t have the resources to be well prepared for a job interview or any other situation where they should be trying to look professional.
“One of my pillars as president is to make sure we have an open-door policy with (NABJ
at ASU), whatever they need from us they got it,” Jenkins said. “Whatever we can do to help facilitate their transition into the professional ranks, I’m all for it.”
Jenkins said he wants AZABJ to be available for NABJ at ASU students’ needs, including being the experts for panel discussions, answering any questions the students might have and giving the student chapter access to their places of business or employment to see newsrooms.
Jenkins said he had a suit hanging in his closet that he had planned to give to Men’s Wearhouse, but NABJ Closet gives him an opportunity to do something bigger.
“Maybe somebody else who needs it can use it,” Jenkins said, “even if it’s just a one-time thing.”
Contact the reporter at mawill57@asu.edu.
