Dress for Success

Disadvantaged students interview in style, thanks to a Creek professor

Atlantic Technical College professor Debra Oistacher looks forward to her Nov. 11 birthday party each year. On the invitation, she includes the requisite details: when, where and a reminder not to bring gifts.

No gifts? Instead, the self-styled “professional do-gooder”  asks party attendees to bring something different—an article of gently worn business attire. The donations go to Oistacher’s organization, The Interview Closet, which gives economically disadvantaged students access to professional clothing.

“These students are able to be employed, and they want to have a career—they just need some extra help to get there,” says Oistacher, who oversees Atlantic Tech’s career placement program, which assists special-needs students with job searches.

In 2009, her sixth year at Atlantic Tech, which serves students in high school and beyond, Oistacher noticed a growing number of students who didn’t have appropriate clothing for job interviews. “In addition to having a learning disability, they [didn’t have the money],” she says. “Eventually I said, let’s see what we can do.”

She began scouting the Coconut Creek-based campus, asking for slightly used interview-appropriate attire. After speaking with the campus bookstore manager, she was offered a small space in the back to start her vision. To fill the space with clothing, she decided to throw herself a birthday party and ask for donations. Oistacher will never forget how her friends and family came through.

“It wasn’t that I had that many people come, but those who did were incredibly generous,” Oistacher says. “A friend of mine who owns a dry cleaning company even loaned me a rack.”

After that weekend, the closet was assembled and open for business. Students started to book appointments, meeting with Oistacher and picking out a new outfit that was theirs to keep.

In addition to the contributions made by the Interview Closet, the career placement program now has an advisory board through which businesses, city commissioners and other interested parties also assist the students. Businesses such as Al Hendrickson Toyota and politicians such as Coral Springs commissioner Joy Carter and Coconut Creek commissioner Sandra Welch sit on the board.

“The advisory board is full of kindred spirits,” Oistacher says.

The Center for Independent Living of South Florida, a nonprofit that empowers individuals with disabilities, also is represented on the board; it provides bus passes for students, so they have access to transportation for interviews or their jobs.

Even after the interview process is over, the board and The Interview Closet continue to advocate for the students.

“If you need a background check or nonslip shoes to start a job, we provide that for you as well,” Oistacher says. “We get you started with anything you need for a job.”

As the eight-year anniversary of The Interview Closet approaches, it’s receiving a makeover at the school—including relocation and expansion. The construction program at Atlantic Tech has been building dressing rooms and installing racks. The renovations are scheduled to be completed this fall.

To donate to The Interview Closet, email Oistacher at debra.oistacher@browardschools.com.

You May Also Like
Protect Your Pup from the Summer Sun With BarkUV

Style and sun protection are built into BarkUV dog shirts, available in a wide range of sizes.

Read More
Get to Know the Savvy and Stylish CEO of One of South Florida’s Poshest Resorts

Lifestyle asked for the skinny on what keeps Deborah Yager Fleming at the top of her game, professionally and personally.

Read More
Find Your Circle Wherever You Land With the Les Amis App

Loosely translated from French as “Hey, Friends,” the app was designed to make meeting like-minded women in real life feel natural, not awkward.

Read More
Women on Top

These ladies are proof positive that fabulous is found at any age when you set your priorities and make yourself one of them.

Read More
Other Posts
Staycation Series: Take a Few Days Away at Arlo Wynwood

Just down the way in Miami, you’ll feel worlds apart from the grind of everyday life at this arts hotel.

Read More
Summer Staycation Series: Hawk’s Cay Is Inviting in Every Way

About a two-hour drive south from Fort Lauderdale, the sprawling resort is the perfect place to take a break from the everyday.

Read More
Pickleball Mania Hits New Heights With This Rooftop Court in Fort Lauderdale

The latest amenity is a response to pickleball being named the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. for four straight years.

Read More
Lady Baker Launches Restaurant as Pembroke Gardens Expands

The popular bakery will open LB Eatery & Wine by Paula Marsala, adding to its growing roster of new tenants.

Read More