Home > News > Donated professional attire showcased in COB fashion show
Two DSU College of Business students-turned models strutted across the Longwood Auditorium stage as part of the HBCU Professional Fashion Show, hosted jointly by the College and TD Bank. The attire showcased during the fashion show was professional clothing collected and donated by TD Bank.
In this photo: Two DSU College of Business students-turned models strutted across the Longwood Auditorium stage as part of the HBCU Professional Fashion Show, hosted jointly by the College and TD Bank. The attire showcased during the fashion show was professional clothing collected and donated by TD Bank.
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Donated professional attire showcased in COB fashion show

Saturday, September 14, 2024

Delaware State University’s College of Business provides not only the knowledge to help its students be successful in the world of finance and management, but also offers professional clothing for those who need it.

The College of Business has connected with TD Bank – already a faithful corporate friend of the University in other areas – to address that need.

Because professionalism is an essential standard that the College of Business instills in its students, students are often required to dress professionally – especially for events such as career job fair and the College’s annual DEEP Day (Delaware Executive Exchange Program).Twin Sisters Dr. Carrie Awadzi and Joann Means are joined in a photo by a team of students and DSU President Tony Allen.

Dr. Carrie Awadzi, a Professor of Practice in the College of Business, said that upon articulating that standard to her students, she learned that some students simply did not have professional attire.

Dr. Awadzi shared this student need with her twin sister Joann Means, a Senior Diversity Talent Recruiter for TD Bank. The sisters are the daughters of Dr. Winston Awadzi, a longtime Professor of Business Administration in the College of Business who retired last year.

Mrs. Means embraced professional attire needs as a personal mission and engaged some of her TD Bank colleagues in collecting clothes donations to help the students.

Last year, Mrs. Means and her TD Bank colleague collected 400 pieces of clothing, which were distributed to the DSU College of Business students.

Having learned the possibilities, the TD Team worked to surpass its initial success. Brooks Brother was engaged to contribute to the project, and the collection of professional attire pieces began in May 2024.

“This year, we collected 1,200 pieces of clothing,” Mrs. Means said. “I stored all of it in my basement; last week, I came with a huge van, and the students helped me unload it.”

As a culmination of this year’s effort, on Sept. 13, the College of Business and TD Bank jointly hosted an HBCU Professional Fashion Show in the Bank of America’s Longwood Auditorium on campus. Many College of Business students became runway models, strutting and showing off the donation blessing of professional clothing.

To see images from the HBCU Professional Fashion Show, click on the below link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48216028@N03/albums/72177720320330303/

Hidden Vanity was among several dance performance groups that participated in the event.The Fashion Show was produced in partnership with several DSU student organizations, including The God Brothers, Accounting Club, Fashion Hive, and 1Entity. The event also included the step performance rhythms of several Greek organizations – Sigma Gamma Rho, Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Phi Beta Sigma – as well as the student dance group Hidden Vanity.

“This is a labor love for me because I see students with the clothing, and they are so excited,” Ms. Means said. “I know next week they will be suited and booted for the Career Fair.”