All those hours of community service in high school paid off:
you’ve been accepted into college. You did your good deeds for the world — and let’s
be honest, to brighten up that application — and you’re
done. Now it’s time to focus on your future for the next four years, right?
Wrong. College is the perfect time to look at volunteering with a fresh set of
eyes. Not only can the experience give you a leg up come job-hunting time, but
it can also help to give you a better understanding of your new surroundings,
and to develop stronger leadership skills.

            If you’re
interested in volunteering, most college campuses have a community-service
center that can point you in the right direction, and support your goals along
the way [see sidebar]. Many offices offer short-term and long-term projects, on-
and off-campus service opportunities, lists of partner organizations, and often
offer leadership training to build interpersonal skills.

            “Our goal is
to get as many students involved in the Rochester community as possible,” says
Molly McGowan, director of the Leadership Institute & Community Service
Center at the Rochester Institute of Technology. “They learn to work with
diverse groups of people and build leadership skills.” RIT has gotten students
involved with programs like the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester, Cancer Act,
and The Children’s Institute. But those are only a few of the Community Service
Center’s more than 200 community partners.

Giving back is the perfect way to meet new people as
you navigate your way through campus life. A wide array of student groups
either center around community service or make getting
involved part of their missions. These groups are a great option if you are
unsure about committing to a project, or think you don’t have enough time, as
they can help you stay connected throughout the chaos of classes and exams. It
helps to have a support group that can keep you focused. Information on many of
these groups are can be found during orientation week,
at club fairs, on your school’s website, or through the community service
office.

            “Try to get
connected as soon as possible; it’s a great way to meet other students and
learn about the community,” says Adam Lewandowski, assistant director of
Nazareth College’s Office of Community Service.

            The earlier
you get involved, the more opportunities will be available to you. And as you
become an upperclassman, your network of connections will grow. Service trips
like alternative spring break–intensive service projects, such as building
homes with Habitat for Humanity — are often only open to students with
volunteer seniority, so it helps to get involved in the community early to
secure your spot. These trips allow you to travel to places like North
Carolina, Florida, or Georgia to help others in need, as well the possibility
of enjoying a nice day at the beach or exploring a new city. Going beyond the
cheap vacation and balmy skies, the work is focused and in-depth, which can
lead to even bigger personal rewards and leave a positive mark wherever you
happen to go.

In addition to making a positive impact on the
community, volunteering can add major brownie points to your resume, connect
you with potential employers, and open up opportunities for internships.
“Employers definitely want to see a well-rounded student,” says RIT’s McGowan.
“Co-ops [and internships] are competitive.”

            The skills
learned from volunteering can be extremely useful in any career. Learning how
to properly nail siding, teaching someone how to read, or understanding how to
manage a non-profit organization can all contribute to landing a job you want
in small or even big ways.

            Community
service can also help you decide what you want to do with your future. “It
gives students the opportunity to get involved in a chosen career field,” says Nazareth’s
Lewandowski. For those interested in service opportunities Nazareth has
partnerships with Generation Two, Hillside Family of Agencies, and The
Sojourner House; those interested in education can partner with the Rochester
City School District, the Southwest Community Center, or the YMCA, to name a
few. A volunteer position may help you to decide what you do and do not like
about the realities of your dream job, so you can tailor your classes toward
what you know you want, and make the right choices for your future.

            Jessica
Rose, a junior at University of Rochester, is proof of the benefits that come from
giving back. “People always say, ‘You’re doing great work,’ but you get as much
out of it as you put into it,” she says. “I’ve grown into a person I like.”
Rose currently works as an intern at Mary’s Place Outreach on Lexington Avenue,
which services Rochester’s refugee community. There she teaches children ages 8
to 15 basic English and helps them acclimate to
Rochester’s public school system. But her list of community service is both
extensive and exciting.

            It started in
high school with a church mission trip with friends to Kentucky, where they
helped to fix housing and worked on other projects. “The first year it was just,
‘This is fun,'” says Rose. “By the second or third year we understood what we
were doing.” When she got to college, it was only natural for her to continue volunteering,
and Habitat for Humanity had a familiar mission. The more she looked, the more
she found, and before long she was building homes in Thailand. “You learn a lot
about human decency,” Rose says. Volunteering “makes you more aware of the
world.”

            Giving back
helps you learn about the community around you. Rochester is your home for the
next four years, and by getting involved with it, you’ll be introduced to the
people of this city, its places, and be reminded that people exist from all
walks of life.

            “There is a
huge need in the local and global community for students to step up and get
involved,” says McGowan. Now it’s your turn.

On-Campus Volunteer Centers

Nazareth College Department of Community Service

Golisano 155, 389-2307

naz.edu/community-service

University of Rochester Community Service Network

Wilson Commons

sa.rochester.edu/clubs/CSN

RIT Leadership Institute & Community Service
Center

RIT Campus Center, Building 3, Suite 1030, 475-4110

http://campuslife.rit.edu/leadership

SUNY Brockport Community Development

B105 Seymour Union, 395-5245

brockport.edu/serve/

St. John Fisher Community Service Office

Campus Center 225, 385-8196

sjfc.edu/student-life/community-service/

NOTE: Not all campuses have an office for community
service, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting involved, as student groups
and other volunteering opportunities still exist. You just have to find them.

This article appears in Aug 15-21, 2012.