Suiting Up for Success

Alumni help create the confidence-building style of the Freeman Professional Closet.

When UND junior Kyra Younce needs to make a strong impression, she turns to her favorite item from the Freeman Professional Closet: a black-and-white striped blazer. “I just love it,” she said. “It’s the perfect amount of ‘fun’ for me. I wear it all the time.”

That blazer has become her go-to, earning her compliments every time she wears it. The information systems and accounting major chose it for her interview with Ernst & Young, her dream summer internship. She starts in May.

From Stitch to Seam: The Closet’s Story

The Freeman Professional Closet is an essential resource for students in the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration (NCoBPA). Pancratz Career Development Center Director Kathy Lund, ’15, came up with the closet idea in 2016. “We’d get students prepared for interviews and career fairs, but sometimes they were still hesitant if they didn’t have clothing they felt confident wearing when meeting with employers.”

Kathy set out to remove that barrier.

“I’m very much into best practices,” she said. “I called a lot of schools with professional closets and did quite a bit of leg work to find out what worked. I was very intentional about where we were going.”

With a $5,000 grant, Kathy launched the first version of the professional closet in Gamble Hall. “We converted an old sink area into a closet. We got a clothing rack and some professional clothing items and started to get the word out,” Kathy said.  

Threading a (Closet) Transformation

Before the Nistler College opened in 2022, the closet had become a key resource for students. Kathy wanted to expand when she met Angie (Hovland), ’91, and Russ Freeman, ’89.

“When Kathy told us about the closet, it felt like an innovative, creative way to make a direct impact,” Angie said.

Russ agreed. “The clothing closet was an opportunity to offer students practical help finding a job.”

While Angie emphasizes that “it’s what’s inside students that matters,” she and Russ were eager to help. “Having the right clothes helps students feel more confident and comfortable going into an interview,” Angie said. “That confidence leads them to land a job, which kick-starts their career, and puts them in a position to succeed.”

Confidence: The Ultimate Accessory

UND junior Jaryn Sundby, a business management and sports major, regularly turns to the closet for suit jackets and ties. “It’s a huge advantage. Instead of worrying about spending hundreds of dollars shopping, I can focus on the interview itself.”

Jaryn interned last summer with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, a minor league baseball team, and is seeking work with another professional sports organization. “Every professional event I go to or any interview, I wear the clothes from the closet,” he said. “When I dress up, I just feel a lot better. It definitely builds confidence in interviews.”

Nistler College students can make an appointment to shop and can pick out two items and an accessory per semester. The clothing – which includes suits, dress shirts, slacks, blouses, skirts, pants, bags, shoes, ties and more – is theirs to keep.  

Students can pick up three additional items at blowout events, held once a semester. “In November, we had our biggest event yet—240 students attended,” Kathy said.

Tailoring Success: The Pancratz Difference

The Freeman Professional Closet is one of many resources the Pancratz Career Development Center offers. “We are relationship-based,” Kathy said, explaining that the staff works closely with students to identify their needs and provide individualized support.
Kyra and Jaryn credit the Pancratz Center for helping them throughout college. Both have benefited from services like resume writing, networking, and interviewing. “I call Kathy my school mom,” Kyra said.

Stitched with Generosity

For Kathy, the generosity of people like Angie and Russ have made the closet possible. “We came from the area with a sink to this beautiful space,” she said. “I still sometimes get tears in my eyes. People are excited about it, and it's become a foundational piece of what we do.”

Angie and Russ see their contributions as part of a broader impact. “Giving to the University impacts the community, the families of students, and the children who come after them,” Angie said. “The impact that UND has on North Dakota, the country, and the world is enormous.”

Kathy shared a favorite closet story. “Before a career fair, a student was looking at himself in the mirror and said, ‘I just don’t feel quite ready.’ We put a suit jacket on him, and his whole posture changed. And I thought, ‘Oh, magic. Now you feel prepared inside and out.’ That confidence is going to come across when he goes into the career fair.”

Thanks to the Freemans and the Pancratz team, students like Kyra and Jaryn are dressing for success … and feeling it too.