“Dress for Success” Prepares Buffalo Students for the Future

Many students at Buffalo’s alternative high school arrive without access to professional clothing or prior workplace experience—practical gaps that can limit their confidence and readiness as they prepare for employment, college, military service, apprenticeships, and other responsibilities. New West High School staff recognized that structured career-readiness training could address these barriers, so they reached out to LOR with an idea. LOR’s funding will help New West launch “Dress for Success,” a life skills and career readiness program. The program will outfit students with professional clothing—including suits, blazers, dresses, and blouses—help them prepare their resumes and portfolios, host a formal dining etiquette experience, and hold mock interviews with community members. Through lessons built around the six Ps—preparation, promptness, participation, politeness, productivity, and perseverance—students will develop professional skills, helping them enter their next stage of life with confidence, preparedness, and dignity.