Lightening the Load

Last spring, as graduation was drawing near, Laura Poole received an attire grant request from a student for an upcoming interview. He was only asking for $60 to buy a pair of dress pants to go with a blazer he already owned.

Poole, who works in the Center for Careers, Life, and Service, assists with the administration of a wide range of global fellowships and awards. But she also manages the need-based CLS grants that support students’ personal, professional, and civic development. That includes the many assorted expenses (including travel) associated with interviewing for a job or applying to grad school.

Experience has given Poole a sort of sixth sense about when a student needs a little bit of extra assistance. There’s sometimes a reluctance to ask for help, she explains.

“All their lives, they’ve just found a way,” Poole says. “That’s kind of the mindset that some students have.”

This was one of those times. With a little careful investigation, she learned that this high-need student was preparing for a very important interview. She spoke to Mark Peltz, the Daniel and Patricia Jipp Finkelman Dean of Careers, Life, and Service, about this individual’s situation. Not only did the student receive the maximum amount according to his determined financial level, but Peltz also personally stepped in to help by offering the student some guidance and suggestions on how to make the most strategic purchases to start his professional wardrobe.

“There are some students who’ve never bought a business suit on their own,” Poole says. “Just the whole process — getting it tailored and hemmed and all the fittings and where to shop for a reasonable suit — can be a daunting task.

“Now this student has a professional suit that is with him today.”

But the money available for the grants is not unlimited. “We just have a certain amount of funds,” Poole explains. In the past, they have sometimes had to temporarily pause the program because the funding ran out.

“We are not a bottomless piggy bank,” she says. CLS grants are a limited resource made possible through the generous support of the Daniel and Patricia Jipp Finkelman Deanship and other Grinnell College alumni. “When funds run out, it is hard to decline a student’s request. But that’s where, thankfully, the Career Closet has stepped in to help with attire needs.”

The Career Closet at CLS offers students gently used professional attire at no cost. Anyone can donate to the Career Closet — either with gifts of clothing or cash.

“Donations are always welcome,” Poole says. The CLS website offers information on how to donate to the Career Closet or to the grant program.

Poole says it’s rewarding to know that these grants are making a difference. “It really helps lighten the load,” she says. “That’s why we’re here.”