A Legacy of Impact
The sun shone on the dark gray road that lay ahead. The midnight black Honda CRV rolled through the sun-lit spot and came to a stop. The left blinker flicked on and began its constant clicking until the steering wheel made a full rotation.
The car pulled into the parking lot, winding between rows, searching for a spot to rest. Finally, a spot was clear and in pulled the CRV. Out of the car stepped Jordan Branchman and his team with a gray colored bin wrapped in an orange and white banner that read: “Professional Clothing Drive Donations Here.”
Led by Jordan Branchman, the team navigated up the concourse at Auburn University and into Plainsman Hall residence building. As the team placed the bin in the corner across from the elevator, Branchman let out a sigh of relief. The day he had been diligently working toward was here.
This bin was one of 25 placed around on and off campus housing to take clothing donations benefiting the career closet on campus. Hosted by the Student Government Association on campus, the goal of this project is to diversify the clothing sizes and style in the Campus Career Closet to better accommodate student’s needs.
As the team moved to the next location, Branchman mentioned how proud he felt carrying out a plan to better the campus. “This is something my family has always valued, service to the community.” Branchman said.
Branchman is a junior at Auburn University continuing his family’s legacy of impact in the community. As the assistant vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Student Government Association's cabinet, Branchman has discovered areas of campus where needs are under met. He now works to help in those areas, starting with the Professional Clothing Drive working with the Campus Career Closet.
Growing up in Montgomery, Branchman witnessed his family serving others and instilling in him a legacy of impact.
In his younger days, Branchman observed every little thing his uncle did to serve his community. On one specific occasion, Branchman watched his uncle serve residents of west and intercity Montgomery who struggled with food insecurity.
Branchman walked through the silver-lined glass doors, into the room filled from ceiling to floor with rows of canned goods and non-perishable food items. On the backend of the room was a door that led to a kitchen with stainless steel appliances and tiled floors. There was Branchman’s uncle, washing the dishes left over from the meal earlier that day.
“I saw my uncle creating an actual impact on the lives of others,” Branchman said. “My goal in life is to do the same.”
The idea for the Professional Clothing Drive stemmed from Branchman’s position within the Student Government Association and his access to other campus organizations. His main goal for the term is to create a more accessible campus in every way, the Professional Clothing Drive is just the start.
“Jordan tries to see things through the eyes of others before making a decision that will impact them,” said Abby Ronson, a colleague of Branchman. “That is why he has a focus on inaccessibility throughout campus. He is attempting to look at our campus through the eyes of others.”
According to Branchman, Mary Martin Hall is the textbook definition of inaccessible as a multiple floor building without an elevator.
On the top floor of Mary Martin Hall is the Campus Career Closet. Branchman began experimenting with ways he could make the Career Closet a more accessible resource to students no matter their physical ability.
Upon his first visit to the Career Closet, Branchman ran his fingers through half empty clothing racks, realizing this resource roughly scratches the surface of a closet definition. Few pieces of professional clothing graced the bare, wooden racks that lined the walls of the closet.
Branchman pivoted his project when he realized the access and offerings from the Career Closet could be better. So Brachman started orchestrating the Professional Clothing Drive.
“There was nothing there,” Branchman said. “The closet was bare. It lacked multiple sizes of things, and there was hardly any form of clothing for men.”
Branchman and his team gathered on the top floor of the Melton Student Center around a gray, round table. The team got to work brainstorming ways the Professional Clothing Drive could be and a plan of action was made.
The next few weeks were filled with ongoing emails, phone calls and collaboration with other outlets on campus to ensure everything was lined up for the first ever campus-wide Professional Clothing Drive.
“Jordan put so much work into this project,” Loren Lindsey, one of Branchman’s team members and assistant on this project, said. “He has a heart for serving others, and it is evident with the efforts he put into this.”
The Professional Clothing Drive kicked off, and the team set out to place donation bins all over campus. Branchman led the way, through one brick building to the next, in efforts to impact his community and carry on the family legacy.
The Professional Clothing Drive is only the start of Branchman’s legacy of impact on Auburn Universities campus With over 100 donations for the first Professional Clothing Drive, Branchman choses to move onto the next impactful initiative, while keeping others at the heart of his service.
