Lake Erie College recently launched a new initiative to help local college students as they go “taking the world by storm.”
College officials, participants in Leadership Lake County and other community members gathered to open the college’s new Lake Erie Closet on March 31.
Located on the second floor of the Painesville college’s Lincoln Learning Commons, the closet provides free professional clothes that students at Lake Erie and other colleges can wear to job interviews and other professional occasions.
“It’s more than clothing here,” said Lake Erie College Career Services Executive Director Amy Sabath. “It’s about confidence, it’s about dignity. It’s about really helping our students overcome any barriers they might have.”
Students can make an appointment with Sabath to visit the closet. Once inside, they can choose between a variety of pants, skirts, shirts, blouses, jackets, ties, shoes and more. There is also a fitting room where they can try on different options.
“I’ve already had a student who’s come in looking for shoes and we haven’t even been open yet,” she said. “So, I know that there’s a need out there. I also know that by having these clothes for them to be able to be dressed for success, it provides them with a lot of confidence, and that’s what I really want them to do is to go in and be confident in their interviews and in their jobs.”
The entrance to the Lake Erie Closet is displayed during a March 31 ribbon-cutting event. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
Shoes and clothes are pictured inside of the Lake Erie Closet on March 31. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
The fitting room inside the Lake Erie Closet is pictured on March 31. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
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The entrance to the Lake Erie Closet is displayed during a March 31 ribbon-cutting event. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
While the closet is only for college students, Sabath said that it is open to students from other institutions besides Lake Erie.
The closet came out as a collaboration between the college and Leadership Lake County.
Sabath said that she had read about other colleges offering professional clothing closets. She talks to students about interviewing as part of her career services role, and she recounted a conversation with a student who did not have appropriate interviewing clothes on campus and was from out of state.
Sabath reached out to Leadership Lake County to make the closet a project for the group’s Signature Program.
Signature Program participant Jessica Vieland said that the Lake Erie Closet group got together in September.
“The business climate is so different now,” Vieland said. “Things used to be a lot more formal, now it’s so much more casual that a lot of students might not know how to dress for an interview. So, we try to also put some outfits together in the closet to give them ideas.”
Signature Program team member Mallory Aliff said it was important to have the closet ready to go as students look for jobs before graduation.
“I’m very proud of this project,” said Signature Program team member Sarah Baucco. “It’s going to help the youth just display their best version of themselves, and if we can help them feel great, they’re going to do great, show their skill sets.”
Members of the Leadership Lake County team that worked on the Lake Erie Closet are pictured ahead of a ribbon-cutting event on March 31. Pictured from left to right are Jessica Wakelee, Mallory Aliff, Sarah Baucco, Nick Marcuse, Bill Rice and Jennifer Vieland. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
Lake Erie College President Jennifer Schuller, left, and college Career Services Executive Director Amy Sabath are pictured during a March 31 ribbon-cutting event for the Lake Erie Closet. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
Ties are displayed outside the Lake Erie Closet after its March 31 ribbon-cutting event. The closet provides items that students can wear to job interviews. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
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Members of the Leadership Lake County team that worked on the Lake Erie Closet are pictured ahead of a ribbon-cutting event on March 31. Pictured from left to right are Jessica Wakelee, Mallory Aliff, Sarah Baucco, Nick Marcuse, Bill Rice and Jennifer Vieland. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald)
During the ribbon-cutting event, Lake Erie College President Jen Schuller said that resources like the Lake Erie Closet can give students an advantage. She said that it can be hard for students to afford “extras” like professional clothing as college costs increase.
Schuller thanked Marous Brothers, who she said “helped build out a terrific space.”
Lake Erie College Board of Directors member Jesse Styles said that there are a lot of students who grew up in a home where their dad did not wear a suit, and that it is important to “destigmatize” kids who might not be dressed the same way as students from a different background.
“What you dress and how you prepare yourself and how you present yourself are very, very important,” Styles said.
A college news release included a statement from Leadership Lake County CEO Tricia Johnston, who said the group was “proud to be part of this project” through members of its 2026 Signature class.
“Community service is an integral part of all our programs and helping empower future leaders as they embark on careers is an exciting way for us to serve,” Johnston said in the release.
Baucco recommended that local organizations use Leadership Lake County “for growth and development for upcoming leaders and their current leaders.”
“Leadership Lake County is an opportunity for us as leaders within the community to hone in on our leadership skills, to see how we can better become involved in the community, to further it for growth and development,” Vieland said.
The college is accepting donations for the Lake Erie Closet.
The college is “always going to need more clothes,” Sabath said. A college news release mentioned a “critical need” for “men’s professional attire, including polo shirts, button-down shirts, pants, belts and sport coats in sizes XS through XXL.”
The college is also accepting monetary donations to buy clothes in case the available options do not fit a student, Sabath said.
Clothes that are “too casual” or “too dressy” will be donated to other groups in the community, Sabath said.
Anyone interested in donating to the closet can email her at asabath@lec.edu.