PWG member Cymilian reaches goal as a nurse

When she was first introduced to DFSA, Cymilian was enrolled as a nursing student at Concordia University, working part-time at a senior living facility, and caring for her young son, all while experiencing homelessness. One of her courses was hosting mock interviews, and students were required to dress professionally. Cymilian didn’t own professional clothing and didn’t have the resources to purchase any at the time, so her professor referred her to DFSA.

She made an appointment and worked with our volunteers to get the clothes she needed for her upcoming mock interview (and the real interviews that would soon be coming her way). Cymilian remembers being pleasantly surprised by how much an outfit could change the way she looked at herself. “I just felt so different,” she said. “Like, wow, it really made me feel different.”

After her initial appointment, Cymilian went on to graduate from Concordia’s nursing program, complete our six-week Path to Employment mentoring program and join the Professional Women’s Group (PWG), where she was able to connect with other nurses. She cited PWG as her favorite experience with DFSA because of how much she was able to learn from fellow nurses in the program.

Cymilian started a new role as a nurse at Seton Main in February 2023. “I do not think I could have gotten to where I am today without Dress for Success Austin,” she said.

Cymilian has big plans for the future, too. In this new role, she hopes to utilize her skills working in the ICU then eventually join the Air Force.

“Women play a very important role in society,” she said. “ Supporting one woman is supporting a whole society. Helping one woman makes a big difference.”