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Special Issue
l
THE NEWYLS
36
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015
NEWYLS INITIATIVE GIVES STUDENTS JUMP-START ON THEIR CAREERS
Suits for Success
By Helena L. Trachtenberg
S
uits for Success, a new YLS special
project, debuted Saturday, Novem-
ber 22, 2014. The project, which
was near and dear to YLS Chair Paul Och-
manek, Jr., was an ambitious undertaking
that sought to provide students at Pilsen’s
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School with a top-
to-bottom “makeover” of their resumes,
interviewing skills and wardrobes. The
project targeted students in the school’s
CorporateWork Study Programwho work
one day per week in various professional
settings including law firms, banks, and
hospitals, to help offset the cost of tuition.
As the Special Project Chair for Suits
for Success, my intent was to empower
these students, many of whom would soon
be applying to college or post-secondary
employment, with the tools necessary to
succeed at these upcoming critical junc-
tures in their lives. We helped by reviewing
and revising their resumes, coaching them
during a mock interview workshop to
improve interviewing skills, and providing
them with donated gently worn suits to
wear at interviews.
The first phase was the Resume Review,
where, with the help of Cristo Rey Corpo-
rateWork Study ProgramManager Nerissa
J. Bona, YLS Chair Paul Ochmanek, and
YLS Administrative Director Jennifer
Bertolino, 15 volunteers provided feedback
on approximately 125 student resumes
between September and October 2014.
This gave students ample time to review
and incorporate the comments as they
revised their resumes before the November
mock interview.
The second phase of the project was
Suit Collection, where we aimed to col-
lect 130 gently worn suits for Cristo Rey
students. From August through Novem-
ber, Paul Ochmanek, Jennifer Bertolino,
Project Officers Gabriela C. Sapia and
Skip Harsch, Member Service Manager
MatthewT. Jenkins, along with numerous
other YLS members and volunteers, rallied
our contacts and coworkers, spreading the
word about Suits for Success and asking
for donations of gently worn suits. We
collected hundreds of suits for the event,
far exceeding our initial goal. With the
help of Public Service Manager Brandon
E. Peck, the suits were dry-cleaned for free
through the generosity of Ray Rosenberg,
owner of the Cleanery at 1526 Lee St. in
Des Plaines.
Our original plan of employing a small
army of tailors to alter the suits didn’t come
to fruition. However, we came across a
true gem in designer Haj Gueye. Haj is
Young Lawyers assist Cristo Rey students with interview attire.