On Tuesday, Career Services hosted The College of Wooster’s annual Social Service Fair. A variety of post-graduation service opportunities as well as information on a variety of graduate schools and the Marine Corps were available to interested students.
The fair was well-attended, which was no surprise to Lisa Kastor, director of Career Services. According to Kastor, The College of Wooster is one of the top 10 feeder schools for both the Peace Corps and Teach for America. Among the classes of 2008 and 2009, 34 percent work in the non-profit sector, while 22 percent work in education.
Tom Loughead ’10 represented Teach for America. According to his estimate, he is one of about 10 members of the class of 2010 currently serving in the program. Participants in the program make a two-year commitment to teach in a high-need school and spend the summer before their first year training, learning teaching strategies and student teaching. Though he acknowledged that the experience has been challenging, Loughead said that it has definitely been a positive one overall, describing it as “meaningful and purposeful.”
Several Wooster graduates represented City Year Cleveland at the fair, including Sarah Gollwitzer 09. Gollwitzer, a Senior Corps Member serving out her second year with the program, is one of three Wooster graduates currently serving in Cleveland. Corps members work with students in inner city public schools on their coursework, attendance and behavior. City Year Cleveland is one of 20 City Year sites across the nation. There are also sites in South Africa and London.
According to Annabel Khouri, a recruiter for the Peace Corps, there are approximately three Wooster students currently in the midst of the application process. Volunteers in the Peace Corps make a 27-month commitment to serve in one of 77 different countries around the world. According to their website, the project focuses include education, business development, agriculture, environmental issues, youth development, health and HIV/AIDS. Though the application process is lengthy, Khouri estimates that about one third of applicants are invited to serve.
Other agencies represented at the fair included the Presbyterian Church Young Adult Volunteers, a year-long volunteer program focusing on the exploration of vocation, and the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a non-profit organization that works alongside the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to increase public use and support of the park.
One of the Conservancy’s main programs focuses on bringing children from local schools, especially urban schools, to the park to teach them about the environment and increase their appreciation of nature.
Humility of Mary Volunteer Service was also present at the fair; the program offers participants a chance to complete a year of service in different locations, most frequently Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Volunteers work on a variety of initiatives, including ministry to the homeless, organic farming and paralegal work with immigrant youth.
Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences was also represented. The program offers students a wide variety of options and program prepares students for clinical practice, policy work or efforts as a community organizer. The strength of the program lies in its stress on simultaneous study and practice; students participate in at least two field placements while studying at CWRU.
For those interested in learning more about careers in social service or the non-profit field, Kastor suggests looking at the search engines on the Career Services website, especially idealist.org. She also recommends the information under the Select Service Programs, US Fellowships in Public Service and International Public Service Fellowships headings.
For those students who did not find the right fit at the Social Service Fair, the Cleveland Cavaliers Career Fair might offer some enticing options. The fair will be held on Feb. 23 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Organizations in attendance will include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lake Erie Monsters, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Verizon Wireless, ESPN Cleveland and many others. For more information, visit theqarena.com/groups/careerfair11.