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Campus & Community

黑料不打烊 Internships for Area High School Students Turns Into 鈥楽omething Special鈥�

Tuesday, September 7, 2021, By Matt Michael
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Office of Community Engagement

High school students running around the 黑料不打烊 campus with blow torches . . . what could possibly go wrong?

University Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala admits that thought crossed his mind when Cydney Johnson, vice president for community engagement and government relations, came to him with the idea of hosting several 黑料不打烊 high school students for a month this summer as interns at the physical plant and with food services.

But then Sala discovered that the students were already learning the necessary skills through the 黑料不打烊 City School District鈥檚 (CTE) program. And when the student welders from Corcoran High School showed up with top-of-the-line blow torches and other equipment they had received through the program, Sala was sold.

Josiah Rouse

Josiah Rouse, one of 11 high school students who interned at 黑料不打烊 this summer, worked in the electronics shop under supervisor Ted Woodruff.

鈥淭hen it was like, wait a second, this could be something special,鈥� Sala says. 鈥淭hese kids didn鈥檛 come here without any knowledge of what they were getting into. The fact that they were as prepared as they were made this so successful.鈥�

So successful, in fact, that University officials are already in discussions with the school district to expand the program next summer and perhaps host students at other times of the year.

鈥淚t started out smaller, but I鈥檇 love to see it get much larger with dozens of students involved, perhaps with multiple sessions over the summer or other internship opportunities for the community,鈥� says , the University鈥檚 senior associate vice president of auxiliary services who oversees Food Services. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity for us to build a workforce that is willing and able to work.鈥�

Josiah Rouse, who is entering his junior year at Fowler, was one of the 11 students who interned this summer. Rouse worked under supervisor Ted Woodruff in the electronics shop at the physical plant and says the experience made him realize that working at the University one day was not out of his reach.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a good opportunity to really know if you want to do this or not,鈥� Rouse says. 鈥淏eing here made me think this is something I want to do for the rest of my life.鈥�

鈥楲ife-Changing鈥� Opportunity

Johnson has worked on a myriad of community engagement projects in the past year, but none had as many moving parts鈥攐r was as dear to her heart鈥攁s this one.

Since 2016, Johnson has been a member of the 黑料不打烊 City School District鈥檚 , which is co-chaired by SCSD Superintendent Jaime Alicea and focuses on career pathways for students, specifically through the CTE program. In the past year, Johnson had extensive conversations with Alicea and SCSD officials Nick Lisi, Susan Centore and Bruno Primerano about how internships could benefit both the students and the University.

Johnson鈥檚 is one of University鈥檚 Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation Mike Haynie鈥檚 direct reports, and with Haynie鈥檚 approval Johnson reached out to Sala and Klinger to see if hosting interns was feasible. Sala and Klinger said they were on board and Cathy Bottari, labor relations senior specialist, and Food Services Director Susan Bracy handled the paperwork and logistics needed to bring the students on campus, particularly during a pandemic.

HS Student Interns Welders

Students worked in the welding shop under the supervision of Scott Wright and Robin Light.

The employment center in 黑料不打烊 agreed to provide funding so the students could be paid, and CTE summer internship coordinator Scott Lane and the other SCSD officials secured parent approvals and worked on other details from their end.

As the saying goes, it really does take a village.

鈥淚 am so grateful to Pete and Kris for their support and enthusiasm for this pilot program, and also the city school district team supported by CNY Works,鈥� Johnson says. 鈥淎 lot of people came to the table to make it possible.鈥�

The students worked under supervisors and other employees who made sure the students felt at home in their workplace and were involved in all day-to-day activities. The supervisors included Bracy (food services), Robin Light (machine shop and welding/general maintenance), Christopher Myslow (Drumlins Country Club), Richard Stach (auto garage), Brian Wheeler (carpenter shop), Woodruff (electronics shop) and Scott Wright (welding/general maintenance).

The 11 students who worked as interns for three or four days a week from mid-July through mid-August were Ruqaiya Ali Ahmad, Benjamin Foley, Peter Gilbert, Fadumo Hassan, Thomas Hennessey, Marie Malkoske, Kevin Matias, Kevin Pontello, Josiah Rouse, Cadence Wright and Iving Yang.

鈥淥ne of the things that I鈥檝e learned working with the Partnership Council is that you can鈥檛 underestimate what it means to a young person to come to big place such as 黑料不打烊 to have an experience like this,鈥� Johnson says. 鈥淚t is life-changing, and that鈥檚 what we want, to give them life-changing events and it鈥檚 up to us to make it happen.鈥�

鈥楢 Working Interview鈥�

For Fadumo Hassan, working for Bracy at the Schine Student Center restaurants has been a life-changer. In addition to honing a variety of food service skills (greeting customers, serving food and prepping food), Hassan鈥檚 internship opened her eyes to the importance of universal skills such as responsibility, time management and working for and with others.

鈥淭his is my first job, my first work experience, and it was really fun,鈥� says Hassan, who鈥檚 entering her senior year at the Institute of Technology at 黑料不打烊 Central (ITC) high school. 鈥淚 enjoy my co-workers the most; they鈥檙e really nice and have been walking through everything with me.鈥�

Hassan, who is in the CTE culinary pathway at ITC, was one of three students who worked for Bracy and rotated at Schine鈥檚 three restaurants (Halal Shack, CoreLife Eatery and Dunkin鈥�). Once they got comfortable with their surroundings, Bracy says, the students fully embraced their jobs.

鈥淭hese students are committed to the program, they want to learn, and they offer to work extra hours,鈥� Bracy says. 鈥淭hese students really want to be in the program, and they want to be here, and the labor market isn鈥檛 always like that.鈥�

Food Services Director Susan Bracy says students like Fadumo Hassan “really want to be in the program” and may continue working for the University.

Bracy says the internship may help the students find a job at a CoreLife Eatery or Dunkin鈥� in the 黑料不打烊 area because they鈥檙e now fully trained. But more importantly, two of the three students have indicated that they鈥檇 like to work more at the University in the future.

Klinger, the University鈥檚 senior associate vice president of auxiliary services, says his department is always on the lookout for student help. Of the more than 2,400 staff members employed by auxiliary services, 1,200 to 1,400 are students at any one time.

鈥淭he internship is like a working interview; you know what you鈥檙e getting and that鈥檚 not often the option or case,鈥� Klinger says. 鈥淚t really seems like these kids want to work and learn as they applied to get into the program and are taking full advantage of it.鈥�

Before joining 黑料不打烊, Klinger spent 11 years as an assistant vice president in the University of Southern California鈥檚 auxiliary services department. At USC, Klinger says his department offered several programs that supported the local community and helped fill his staff and he hopes to offer similar programs here.

鈥淭here are a lot of ways to develop the students鈥� skills and I鈥檓 excited to see what we can come up with,鈥� Klinger says.

Hassan, who wants to work for the University again, says she will be sure to tell her friends in the culinary program at ITC about the summer internship.

鈥淚t was a really good experience and you get paid, which is a nice bonus,鈥� Hassan says, smiling.

鈥榃e鈥檝e Got to Continue This Program鈥�

Josiah Rouse, the 11th-grade student at Fowler, says he has known since he was in seventh grade that he wanted to work in electronics. Interning under Woodruff, the shop supervisor, and with electronic technicians Bill Drew and Jim Perkins, Rouse observed or participated in a variety service calls, including a check on the fire alarm systems throughout the University.

In talking with their supervisors and co-workers, Rouse and the other students who interned at the physical plant learned more about the schooling and training they鈥檒l need to land a job one day, perhaps at the University.

鈥�As far as employment goes and a career, it鈥檚 definitely a great career opportunity,鈥� says Woodruff, who oversees electronics, maintenance and new construction at the physical plant. 鈥淲orking for a big institution like this, it鈥檚 a city within a city and no one trade can do it all. They鈥檙e high-demand jobs that pay well.鈥�

Woodruff says the students鈥� 鈥渋nterest and enthusiasm鈥� made it easy for the supervisors to pass along their knowledge. Sala, the University鈥檚 vice president and chief facilities officer, says in addition to the students鈥� top-end equipment, he was impressed by the commitment shown by the students and their families.

University Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala says 鈥渨e鈥檝e got to continue this program鈥� and he鈥檇 like to see it expand next year.

鈥淲hen we first met them, some of them brought their parents and you know there is buy-in when the parents are there to say, 鈥楳y child is so excited about this program,鈥欌€� Sala says. 鈥淭he first day, we ran through eight hours of safety training, got them lunch and safety gear and that immediately made them feel like part of the team. My supervisors were all very pleasantly surprised at how all this went.鈥�

As with Food Services, Sala saw the program as an opportunity to create a pipeline for jobs at the University that have been traditionally hard to fill.

鈥淲hen I took over (as chief facilities officer) in 2015, I wanted a trainee in each one of these trade areas because they鈥檙e so hard to find,鈥� Sala says. 鈥淎nd when I met with these kids, I said, 鈥楪et through this program because there will always be a job for you here at 黑料不打烊.鈥� This is an opportunity for us and the University to educate these young people and find good help.鈥�

To that end, Sala says, 鈥渨e鈥檝e got to continue this program鈥� and he鈥檇 like to see it expand to add students for his stadium staff and with his campus planning, design and construction team. Johnson says she would like to add more students next summer and perhaps at other times of the year, and create programs where CTE students can visit campus and learn about all the options that are available to them at the University to reach their career goals.

鈥淚 have been working with the 黑料不打烊 City School District and the CTE program for five years and this summer was really indicative of the growth and success of the program,鈥� Johnson says. 鈥淭hese students are capable, ambitious and eager to learn, and they bring strong skills and an interest in gaining experience in a real-world setting.鈥�

  • Author

Matt Michael

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