At some point in our professional lives, most of us have needed someone who believes in us – and helps us get ahead.

This is what inspired Tosca Dos Santos to start the Pave It Forward initiative. It helps students who are due to graduate to get work ready, by helping them look the part.

Dos Santos, a University of Pretoria (UP) alumna and former lecturer in the Department of Taxation in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS), said she saw it fit to Pave It Forward after she had also been given a hand at one point.

“For me it began a few years ago when I was still working at an audit firm. I was a tax partner and generally – between myself and my colleagues – we knew the kind of clothing we recycled for different reasons, such as weight gain and changes in fashion. I always thought it was such a waste and it would be great to have an initiative where work-specific clothing could be passed on to younger women entering the work environment.

“When my father died I could no longer afford to study full-time and had to start working, so in my second year I joined the audit firm and continued my studies part-time. I know from personal experience that when I started working I didn’t have the clothing that was needed, and it made me feel less confident than my peers. I recall how expensive things were, but I was fortunate enough to have my future mother-in-law offer to make me clothing items for work. It made a huge difference for me. This is what made me want to do something like this,” she said.

With her family dynamics changing Dos Santos was able to focus more on other things she was passionate about, such as getting this project off the ground. She wanted her message to be clear and her idea to be sustainable and identifiable. So she went to the place where she knew she would get support – UP.

“I initially approached Leana du Plessis, one of the lecturers in the Department of Accounting in the EMS (Economic and Management Sciences) Faculty. I chatted to her about the idea and I wanted to see what her thinking was. I knew she worked with the Thuthuka Bursary Fund recipient students as well. So initially I wanted to focus on students that would be going into auditing and accounting firms, and to pilot with that smaller group. We chatted about it, she was enthusiastic about the idea but we ultimately felt it should rather be open to other students in that Faculty as well that were about to graduate.

“She then spoke to some of the students and some staff members to try and gauge what the feeling around this was. I feel very strongly that this shouldn’t be seen as charity, but rather women who are professionals in the industry reaching out to students and gifting them with high-quality items that will help them. That’s why for each of the girls there were personal messages written by the ladies that were involved. These were words of encouragement, words of advice, so that it became a really personal experience. That was the thinking. It was important how the students would perceive the messages,” she said.

When the idea came to life 75 students benefitted. They were invited to a pop-up shop that had clothing packed on rails and tables, as they would find in shops. With a mixture of good-quality worn items and brand-new ones, students could each pick an outfit or two, including accessories that worked for their body and personal style. At the end they were also given the choice between a red-leather laptop bag and a complete make-up set to finish the look, which were both donated by Avroy Shlain after they heard about the event.

Dos Santos admits that the success of the event would not have been possible without the support of the women who contributed, the students, and other partners who got involved.

“I was privileged to be able to arrange this event and meet the extraordinary young women from the University of Pretoria who attended. The University can be very proud of these future graduates!

“The success of our first pop-up event was due to the incredible support of people who heard about the initiative and wanted to help and get involved! There are so many people to thank who made the day possible and the event a success. Special thanks to mother-and-daughter team Margarita and Alexia Katranans. Alexia designed the logo [she is a UP Architecture graduate from 2018 who is hoping to get honours here in 2020]. They helped me at night to sort and pack clothes, set up before the event and on the day. Avroy Shlain, especially Michelle Lima, for the amazing gifts for the future graduates. Leana du Plessis and Carlien Nell from the University of Pretoria for their enthusiasm, help and support, from inviting the students to personal contributions, setting up and helping on the day. And all the professional women, including many of the lecturers in the EMS Faculty, who contributed such amazing items for the event,” she said.

Noluthando Mngwengwe – one of the students who benefitted from the event – expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Dos Santos. “Honestly, the Pave it Forward initiative is more impactful than you’ll ever know! Every single student deserves to feel confident and beautiful as they embark on their corporate journey. Most of us come from families where we are the first to go to university, finish university and then go into these corporate giants with no support from parents and communities.

“It really struck a heart string because I know – as ‘firsts in their families’ – many students feel like they are alone, but angels are all around them. And with this initiative they all played that role effortlessly and generously. The quality and quantity of the clothes were unmatched. I am so grateful to Tosca,” Mngwengwe said.

Dos Santos said there are plans to grow the initiative in the coming years to include male students and other faculties.

To get in touch with Dos Santos about Pave it Forward, send her an email on: [email protected] and you can visit Pave It Forward’s Instagram page on women_paveitforward.