by Bryan Gibel
Daily Lobo
It's hard to go to school full-time and find an interesting job, said Kiran Katira, director of the UNM Service Corps.
Katira said the corps has been helping students find a balance between the two for more than 10 years.
"We recruit from UNM and CNM work study, and that helps employ students that would normally be stuck on college campuses, filing things for some department," she said. "The students become staff for sites in the community where they do public service."
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Katira said the Service Corps recruits students from ethnic centers, job fairs and other activities on campus.
The organization puts students to work part-time at neighborhood centers, schools, a clinic and on-campus ethnic centers.
About 130 students work at about 40 sites, Katira said. She said the Service Corps helps organizations and schools in Albuquerque by providing them with staff at no cost.
The organization pays UNM students $8.50 an hour for their work. CNM students get $7.50. UNM students get paid more because the University's minimum wage is higher, she said.
Funding is provided by state and federal work study, Americorps, the city and 21st Century Grants, a partnership with Albuquerque Public Schools.
Service Corps employees also get a scholarship when they complete a certain number of hours.
They get $2,300 for 900 hours, $1,700 for 675 hours and $1,200 for 450 hours, Katira said.
Service Corps employees work at the APS Title 1 Homeless Project, said Helen Fox, the project's liaison.
Fox said the site supports more than 3,000 homeless school children a year.
"We make certain that they're going to school if they're in town - even if they're moving around a lot - and that they have backpacks, school supplies and a uniform if they need it," she said.
Fox said Service Corps members tutor the children, serve them dinner and ride the bus with them to make sure they get back to their parents.
Service Corps employees also work at the Topakal Family Practice clinic at 1028 Ann Ave. S.W.
Percephine Becenti, a Service Corps employee who works at the clinic, takes classes at CNM to meet prerequisites for the UNM nursing program.
Becenti said she couldn't work at the clinic if it weren't for the Service Corps, because Topakal couldn't afford to hire her.
She said working at the clinic is vital to her career because a lot of hospitals won't hire students who haven't worked in the health care field.
"It's a good place to get hands-on experience for anyone who wants to go into the medical field," she said. "We draw blood. We give injections. Sometimes we get to go in and help the doctors do minor surgeries."
It also helps students learn from the communities where they work, which can be a life-changing experience, Katira said.
"It gives a purpose to what many of our students are studying, and I've seen a huge amount of leadership development," she said. "For some of them, it has also led to a shift in their education and their career."
