Written by Maxfield English
Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) Community Partners took over the main quad on Wednesday, Jan. 29, allowing prospective student service learners to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
Some 199 people signed up for the event to familiarize themselves with the service partners CSUMB is partnered with.
Specifically, students were looking for partners that offered volunteer positions that connected to their majors and career interests.
“I loved the horse therapy stand, but I wanted to work around my psychology major,” said student Makayla Suits.
“I want a program where I can apply my major, and I honestly also want to develop my resume,” said Karla Agredano, a fourth-year marine science major.
Service partners ranged greatly to accommodate this, from programs such as Safe Ag Safe Schools to preservation efforts like Save the Whales. Many of the partnerships were based around history, social studies and science, and were grouped as such during the Partnership Fair.
Some service partners have been working with CSUMB for a long time, helping them know exactly what to look for in a service learner.
“We look for commitment, but if anything stands out it’s initiative. Students with initiative really help us,” said Jessica Correa, executive director of The Bird School Project.
As for addressing students’ needs, service partners often offer upper and lower-division opportunities to accommodate CSUMB’s service learning requirements. If the experience for the student is a positive one, they have the opportunity to work with them again in the future.
Multiple partnership opportunities, including The Bird School Project, even offer potential employment to students. Others look at their prior volunteers as “possible candidates” to hire in the future, Correa said.
Aside from opportunity, some service partners stood out due to the nature of their work. Wonder Wood Ranch, one of the participating partnerships, offered work in equine therapy.
“Working with these animals can be healing for the people we work with,” said Rick Pate, secretary of Wonder Wood Ranch, located in Salinas.
Another service partner that attracted many students was Citizens for Sustainable Marina (C4SM), which led a hands-on approach to drawing a crowd. While their partnership involves mostly community cleanup, their booth showed some animals whose habitats might be cleaner due to volunteer efforts. C4SM allowed students to hold or pet both a California Gopher and King snake, two species positively impacted by C4SM’s efforts.
The work service partners provide is also well integrated with the local community, with “over 100,000 hours of service to over 400 schools, non-profit organizations, and government agencies in [the Monterey Bay] region,” according to Cal State Monterey Bay’s website.