OGDEN -- Elizabeth Taylor has a lot riding on a March 1 career fair at the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College.
That's the day she hopes to make a big impression on a future employer.
Taylor, 24, of Hooper, is set to graduate from her administrative assistant program in April.
She believes she has the skills to do the job but needed help in making a strong impression. On Wednesday, a student ambassador at the school helped her pick out a lime green pants suit during a clothing giveaway on campus.
"I don't have anything this classy looking at home," Taylor said of her new look, which includes a "pretty" decoration down the front of her outfit and "cute" matching high-heeled shoes.
"I'm really, really excited about this," she said of her new duds.
Taylor said she's had other jobs, but when she gave birth to a daughter nine months ago, she realized she'd need better employment to give her daughter a good life.
Now, she's hoping the training she's gotten and her newfound confidence, thanks to her clothes, will garner her some attention.
"I will go to the job fair in March wearing my new clothes," she said. "I want to get my name out there and get some leads."
The free clothing drive brought donations of hundreds of articles of clothing.
Faculty, staff and even a few students donated to the effort, which began in November.
The giveaway started Wednesday and was expected to go throughout the week, but students stormed the event as soon as it opened, taking home bags of shirts, skirts and jackets.
"We wanted to give our students a heads-up to meet employers," said Andrew Brown, a recruitment specialist at the college. "We do a clothing drive every year. We decided to make it more of a student-focused drive."
The effort is part of a larger program sponsored by the college's Success Center to prepare students for the fair as well as for employment.
A 12-part workshop series covers everything from dressing for interviews to resume writing, researching employers and power in the workplace. Students also may drop by the center at any time for individual help.
"There are a number of socioeconomic barriers that can keep people from lifting themselves out of poverty," said Adam Huzzey, a VISTA volunteer in the Success Center. He said the workshops and the free clothing address these issues.
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