February 27, 2006 The Lion's Eye Eve On Communit Soup MADE from the Heart By GERRY DUNGAN gmd138@psu.edu Penn State Delco's club, Making A Difference Everyday (MADE), ventured deep into the heart of Chester for their first communi- ty outreach event of the spring semester. After last year's mid-semester transition of administrative duties, MADE president, Jenny Johnson, led a caravan of nine student volunteers to the City Team Ministries-sponsored soup kitchen. Most of the student volunteers were MADE members, but had little or no experience at homeless shelters and soup kitchens. "I'm really nervous, cause he said that all the people are recovering alcoholics," said Johnson as she was pulling into a seemingly abandoned lot shadowed by a windowless brick building that was the soup kitchen. Johnson was referring to the other soup kitchen volunteers who are a part of City Team's Recovery Program. The ministry offers them a chance to combine their rehabilitation with "full-time" volunteering at their Food Pantry Program (the soup kitchen) where they will work side by side with student and non-student "part-time" volunteers. "All of the people working there were really excited we were there to help out in any way we could," said Jen Collins , Vice President of MADE via an ANGEL message board, "I had a lot of fun serving food, my dreams of being a cafeteria lady are fulfilled.” Student volunteers at the Chester City Ministry. The meals served by the ministry are depend- ent on local donations, however, there were enough servings for seconds and thirds. Mike, a member of the City Team Recovery Program, said we're here seven nights a week, lunch and dinner," he said, handing out a bagged lunch that was donated from the public school down the street, "it's like Thanksgiving every night." ; The Food Pantry Program itself is well-organ- ized and cataloged. They have registered over 50 daily soup kitchen participants, not all of them were homeless or poor. "I come here every day for the fellowship," said Stella, an elderly resident of Chester who seemed to be constantly weighed down by the amount of bags on her walker. The fellowship of City Team Ministries is a Christian fellowship. Before the actual dinner took place, sophomore Sean Nichols volun- teered to give a testimony as to why PSU Delco was at the soup kitchen. “The fact that I am Catholic and I haven't wit- nessed something like that in a while," he said, "gave me opportunity to be apart of the soup kitchen more than I already was." According to Jenny Johnson, MADE is plan- ning on returning to the City Team Food Pantry. | Page 7 NASA Seeks Student Interns Ready to Get Lost in Space By DAN BAER drb272@psu.edu This summer, NASA and the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI) is offering internships for undergraduate and graduate stu- dents, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. ASA and FSRI will accept 27 high-achieving undergraduate or graduate students majoring in either engineering or science for the intern- ship. "The students must have a mini- mum 3.0 GPA" said Shannon Potter, a NASA official. Grades are not the only thing NASA will be looking at Potter said "other qualities of a good candidate are leadership, communi- cation, and teamwork skills." Like all internships, the program NASA is offering will help those accepted to gain experience in a field in which they are interested. In this case, it would help the select few gain experience needed to enter fields such as science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Of the internships offered Potter said "Participants typically spend about 60-70 percent of their work days in a lab or field, working on a project under direction of a NASA scientist or engineer. The exact type of work depends on what work Kennedy Space Center is doing that summer." Interns will also receive daily lec- tures from NASA scientists, engi- neers, and managers to help students learn more about the workings of NASA. Participants will be required, at the end of their internship, to present a report on their experience as well as the project with which they were involved. As for pay, Potter said: "Participants can qualify for a stipend if they can show financial need." Students will be provided with transportation and lodging. In addi- tion, the program supplies money for food. This program can not guarantee a job for those interested, but gives participants the opportunity to net- work and get their foot in the door. "When applying for NASA posi- tions, having had NASA work expe- rience will be a major plus," said Alfonso Berta another NASA offi- cial. Also, NASA offers a co-op pro- gram that offers more than just an internship. "Generally, students go through their college co-op office for place- ment at NASA. If the college does not have a formal co-op program with NASA, the student can contact the NASA center directly to inquire about placement," said Berta. "Kennedy Space Center requires that the student be able to alternate semesters between working at NASA and school for at least one full year," he added. A majority of students who partic- ipate in ‘the co-op program are offered permanent positions with NASA at the end of their schooling. Career Services Network Students with the Future By JESSIE ROWLAND jar422@psu.edu ~ Having trouble deciding what to do with life after college? Wondering what kind of jobs specific majors can provide? Questions about the job market and career choices often leave students con- fused and overwhelmed. The Advising and Career Services offices at Delco offer a variety of programs to help ease the stress of graduating and getting a job. Often, students are worried about what they should be doing to keep up with their college career. When is the best time to make a tesumé? How soon should students choose, a, major? These answers can be answered with a checklist called "The Four-Year Plan," which can be picked up in 112 Main Building. The career services will be hosting pro- grams and workshops throughout the spring semester to help students prepare for various aspects-of a job hunt. Some of the workshops include: a resume work- shop where the staff will help students cre- ate a professional resumé to highlight abil- ities and skills, a job fair which will pro- vide students with access to local employ- ers, and practice interviews that offer a less stressful environment than a formal inter- View. Adviser and career counselor Maggie Valentin said that students aren't utilizing services enough in their sophomore and junior years. “Don't wait until your senior year," Valentin said, adding that the services at Penn State do not only place emphasis on academic planning, but also on career phnning. "Resumés are very important and the staff members have experience with a vari- ety of resumés," Valentin said. "Don't short change yourself. There is no right way to create a resume, but two eyes are always better than one." Valentin said internships are extremely important and will benefit students in their job hunt. Internships and job offers can be tough to find, but students are encouraged to use the College Central Network at www.col- legecentral.com/psudelaware to find updated postings. "Use many different websites to cover all of your bases," says Valentin when asked about websites like Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com. She said that one website may. benefit a student more because it will have postings that another site may not. "Network, network, network," said Valentin, "Jobs are found by networking." “Go to the career fairs and be prepared,” said Valentin. "Take advantage of the free services provided by Penn States Career services and improve your resumé, inter- view skills, and chances of getting a great job after college." For more information, visit Career Service in 112 Main Building.
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