from Dateline (January 30, 2003)
Students
Serve Others as AmeriCorps Volunteers
by Dave Reid
Cal State Fullerton students
– mostly future teachers – are out in the community
and local schools as learning assistants, tutors and volunteer workers
in the new California State University Academic Preparation AmeriCorps
Program.
They are serving others as tutors in the Collaborative
Academic Preparation Initiative (CAPI) Learning Assistance and Precollegiate
Academic Development (PAD) programs.
“The launch of this program is a clear indication
of our strength as a system to offer quality opportunities for CSU
students to provide service in our surrounding communities and to
K-12 students, and also to provide incentives for students to become
future teachers,” said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed.
CAPI participants work as high school learning assistants
at Fullerton, Buena Park, Esparanza, Loara and Mission Viejo high
schools. “The students act as an extension of teachers by
helping lead discussions, facilitating group projects and other
tasks,” said Robert Nazar, learning assistant liaison and
lecturer in English and comparative literature.
Tanya Shubin, a communicative disorders major, works
14-20 hours a week as one of the CAPI learning assistants at Buena
Park High School. She helps both honors and at-risk students as
a mentor, giving guidance in generating ideas for essays and expressing
thoughts on paper, as well as helping students with life skills.
“I especially like to give the really bright students a big
push to succeed,” she said. “I love the job and work
with some amazing high school teachers.”
PAD program participants at local schools work on
a one-on-one basis or with small groups, tutoring students in English.
Coordinating the effort is Wendy Duran.
In addition to classroom duties, students receive
training and participate in community volunteer activities, such
as serving meals in homeless shelters. There are similar programs
at each CSU campus.
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