By Matthew Cavazos

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – APRIL 23, 2025 – The third floor of the UTRGV Student Academic Center on the Edinburg Campus filled with delighted gasps and comments as visitors attended the grand reopening of the UTRGV Career Closet.

This year, the UTRGV Career Closet has all the best professional clothing for headshots, interviews, career fairs and other professional events, all free for current UTRGV students and alumni.

Kamara Jackson, director of the UTRGV Career Center, said UTRGV students are appreciative and grateful for the opportunities the career closet facilitates.

“I think the closet will help remove economic barriers and help our students feel empowered when having conversations with employers,” she said.

Following years of planning, months of renovations, and the purchase of new professional garments for men and women, Jackson was excited to open the doors.

“Prior to the Career Closet reopening, we didn’t have a location for the clothes,” Jackson said. “It was not too uncommon for clothes to be in my office closet or in a cabinet. This is a huge win for our students.”

All current UTRGV students can rent up to three professional garments each semester or receive and keep up to five gently-used professional garments each semester.

Students who rent clothes have six business days to return the items to the closet. UTRGV alumni also are allowed to receive and keep professional garments.

Students interested in scheduling an appointment for the UTRGV Career Closet can do so by visiting the website and following the steps listed in the “How Can I Schedule an Appointment?” tab.

Appointments for students in Brownsville will consist of a consultation with a career advisor in Brownsville, to review inventory and take measurements. Garments will be selected based on the desired items and brought to Brownsville within two days for pickup or rental.

Students interested in renting clothes from the career closet can click here to visit the website, scroll down, then click the “Career Closet Rentals” button to view the new professional garments available for rent.

To pair with the closet, the UTRGV Career Center recently purchased an IRIS Pod – a portable professional headshot studio that provides all UTRGV students an opportunity to get free headshot photos in both Brownsville and Edinburg.

“The average price of a headshot can start anywhere between $125 and $300,” Jackson said. “The IRIS Pod provides an opportunity for students to take as many headshots as they please. We want to remove economic barriers and anxieties by helping check things off the student’s professional checklist.” 

The UTRGV Career Closet provides current students the opportunity to rent up to three professional garments each semester or keep five gently-used items. Alumni can also receive and keep professional clothing, empowering them for career success. (UTRGV photo by Paul Chouy)