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A Conversation with Alesha Walker
A Veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Alesha Walker, understands military service and transitioning from active duty life as a woman. Dress for Success Houston’s program coordinator sat down with me to discuss female Veterans’ needs, Dress for Success Houston’s services for female Veterans, and how service organizations can help the Veteran community.
Tell us about your work with female Veterans. We decided to have a day where we suited only female Veterans, and that kicked off the Veteran support that we started to offer. On June 11, 2014, we had our first Female Veteran Service Day. CASY provided resume review and critique, and we also had Bank of America, Chase, and MD Anderson on site to do interview preparation. On that day, we had 25 female veterans who were suited from all five branches of the service.
Why did Dress for Success Houston implement those programs? There is a large Veteran population in Houston, but you have to go out and find the female Veterans. We usually attend job fairs to connect to Veterans and tell them about Dress for Success Houston. We set out to show female Veterans that they aren’t alone. I know as a female Veteran myself; you can feel isolated, left out. You don’t necessarily know about the resources available.
When it comes to the services we provide here, it’s a great place for female Veterans to be themselves. They don’t necessarily have to be the soldier, the Marine. They can be a woman and get the clothes that they need. They can feel more empowered and confident than they already are and more capable to overcome the challenges they face in society. It’s not just about the clothes. It’s about so much more. We like to say, “Beyond the uniform.”
Suit Up: A woman upon her initial suiting will receive a full suit (skirt or pants), a blouse, a handbag, a pair of shoes, a scarf, and a set of pearls. Dress for Success Houston provides her with an additional eight pieces of clothing after she obtains employment. Dress for Success Houston helps women to develop a professional wardrobe, whether it includes dresses and suits or scrubs.