Pictured above (L to R): Cordelia Prouvost, Jenn Ding, Summer Legambi, Katherine Kirby, Katie Donovan, Michael Schwarze.
The first time I walked into the TuckStuff store, I was very overwhelmed. Partially because I was trying to juggle core classes, recruiting events, and making new friends like the rest of the first-year students. Additionally (and more excitingly), the store was filled with Tuck-related items, and I wanted to buy them all to show off my school pride. And finally, behind the counter stood two T’24s smiling at me, but I couldn’t remember their names.
Unlike the frenetic T’25s I had been surrounded by during Tuck Launch, these T’24s seemed effortlessly cool and relaxed. The girl working said hi, so I said hi back. The guy asked if he could help me find anything, and I nervously responded, “No thanks, just looking!" I touched a few pieces of clothing, turned around, and ran out. I had attended the TuckStuff info session earlier that week, and I sat down to proofread my application to join the team.
A month later, I was back at TuckStuff, this time as a first-year associate being trained to run the store. The T’24s working their shift that first day turned out to be Michael Schwarze and Cordelia Prouvost (whose feedback on this blog post was “Looks great, except we are definitely not cool or relaxed.”) They are two of the six second-year students who make up the TuckStuff management team.
Founded 40 years ago, TuckStuff is a small business run entirely by second-year students. It provides custom, Tuck-branded apparel to foster pride and community for students, alumni, faculty, and beyond. TuckStuff also collaborates with the administration and club chairs to create apparel for conferences, clubs, and events, allowing members of the community to create unique swag in a short turnaround time. If you visit the store or shop online at TuckStuff.com, you’ll find all types of clothing and accessories: from classic sweatshirts and baseball caps to baby onesies, dog bandanas, and even branded cheese boards and ski goggles.
Beyond working shifts alongside the T’25s in the brick-and-mortar store (located next to Byrne Dining Hall, come say hi!) and fulfilling e-commerce orders, the T’24s work hard behind the scenes to make the business run smoothly. They divide their responsibilities based on both skills they hope to develop before graduation, as well as tasks they genuinely enjoy.
As their time as Tuck (and TuckStuff) comes to a close, I asked each T’24 what their favorite part of their role is and what their biggest takeaway from the experience has been. Although their answers were all different, they share a love for working with the wider Tuck community, as well as seeing their friends, classmates, professors, and family members representing Tuck through their clothing and accessories.
Role: Business Development
Hometown: St Louis, MO
Post-Grad Industry: Real Estate
I lead Business Development for TuckStuff. As part of my role, I get to work with so many different groups across Tuck and Dartmouth. My favorite part of the job is helping people get the Tuck-branded gear that they want for their clubs or groups.
My biggest takeaway from this experience is seeing the impact that TuckStuff has on the greater Tuck community. It is always exciting to see people repping the gear that you worked hard to get for them.
Role: Finance
Hometown: Needham, MA
Post-Grad Industry: Tech
I love being involved in an extracurricular that allows me to interact with so many different members of the community. I’m so grateful that I got the chance to meet so many members of the T’25 class when I was working in the store during their Tuck Launch.
My biggest takeaway is that it is so important to listen and respond to the feedback of our customers. Being a community-based business, maintaining strong customer relationships, and keeping everyone happy is one of our core goals.
Role: Marketing
Hometown: Washington DC
Post-Grad Industry: CPG
My favorite part of my role as marketing lead has been building up TuckStuff’s social media presence as an easy and fun way to connect with current students and engage with alumni. It’s satisfying to see the direct conversion between a social media post about new inventory and an online purchase, but it’s also nice to field messages from alums who love Tuck.
Running a business is different from many other ways you can spend time at Tuck. We are responsible to the business and each other, and that creates a very strong bond amongst the management team. I am excited to take those relationships with me post-grad.
Role: People & Operations
Hometown: Plainsboro, NJ
Post-Grad Industry: Consulting
My favorite part of being part of TuckStuff is seeing how closely it’s integrated with the school. As a group of students, we bring to life all the Tuck merchandise available for sale and create custom orders for Tuck clubs and events like Tuck Winter Carnival. It’s been a lot of fun working in the store and seeing friends and classmates come in to check out what we have to offer.
My biggest takeaway has been seeing what it’s like to work on a small business. From an operational side, it’s been interesting to apply core class concepts like marketing and finance directly to the business. On the personnel side, it’s been rewarding to work with a small group of classmates on a financially meaningful business where everyone feels a sense of ownership and pride.
Role: People & Operations
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Post-Grad Industry: Consulting
There are too many favorite parts to choose from! As an operations lead, I focus on executing and continuously improving the in-store and e-commerce guest experiences, as well as the employee experience. One thing that I really enjoy is preparing pre-orders for pickup. Pre-orders tend to be one-time specialty items, such as gear for Tuck Winter Carnival. It is so exciting to see the merchandise for the first time, prepare it for local pickup or shipping, and see the customer’s excitement when they pick it up!
My biggest takeaway has been that I want to pursue a career in retail or CPG! Working at TuckStuff has confirmed my passion for retail. I love the consumer-centricity of retail and being able to experiment in the store and online. It also brings me great joy to see someone rocking their TuckStuff gear around campus and the Upper Valley!
Role: Merchandising
Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
Post-Grad Industry: Retail
TuckStuff has been an incredible hands-on learning experience. My biggest takeaway is that you aren’t going to get everything right all the time—an item is wrongly listed as in stock, you order the wrong color by accident, a customer’s order gets lost—but you find a way to manage through. The good moments, like seeing a classmate get excited about something you designed, make up for the stress of the tough moments!
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