Reflecting on the last four years, Hannah Nayowith ’16, feels her community-based work-study has impacted her the most during her time at Carleton. “Being assigned to community-based work study freshman year made me realize that engaging in the local community was something I really valued. Early on, it made me think about my strengths and passions in a different way,” said Nayowith.
Nayowith is one of about 36 students at Carleton who participates in a community-based Federal Work-Study (FWS) program. One of the official purposes of the FWS program is “to encourage students receiving Federal student financial assistance to participate in community service activities that will benefit the Nation and engender in the students a sense of social responsibility and commitment to the community.”
All institutions that participate in the Federal Work Study are required to spend at least 7% of their annual FWS allocation on community service jobs. These jobs can be identified through collaborations with local nonprofit, governmental, and community-based organizations, and they must be designed to improve the quality of life, particularly for low-income community members. Last year, Carleton more than doubled the 7% mandate with 15.52% of students participating in community-based work study.
Julie Bubser, Community-Based Work Study Coordinator, has played a large role in helping the program grow. Bubser explained how involvement has slowly increased as the role of the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) has become more prominent on campus. “I know that my program is getting noticed more by students. I’m not having to do the recruiting or go through files of students eligible for work study because they come to me,” Bubser said.
Bubser works closely with students, the financial aid office, and community organizations. “I visit with the students all through the process to hear how things are going. The relationship I have with the organizations is also strong. The organizations try to see what the student is interested in and purposefully move them in that direction instead of always having them do the same thing,” Bubser said.
Bubser enjoys working with students and encouraging them to reflect on their experience. “We’re intentional about doing reflection with students different times during the year to see if they are aware of not only how their work is making an impact on the organization, but also on themselves,” Bubser said.
“The Northfield community kind of is like a little home for students, and they find most of the organizations really want to help and support them. And the organizations love having the students there. It’s a great reciprocal arrangement, and it’s also great for the college to have that connection with the community,” she said.
Nayowith felt particularly welcomed by one elementary school teacher through her position as a Reads and Counts tutor at Bridgewater Elementary School during her first term at Carleton. “One of the second grade teachers and I really got along. Even after I wasn’t a Reads and Counts tutor anymore, I still volunteered with her class sophomore year. This year and my junior year, I went in three hours a week to tutor with her just for fun. I’ve known her for four years now so she has really been one of my mentors,” Nayowith said.
Nayowith continued her community-based work study as a CCCE Communications fellow her sophomore year and a fellow for Reads and Counts and Greenvale Park Community school during her junior and senior years.
Her experience with community-based work study has helped her determine her post-graduation plans.“This experience helped me realize that I am really passionate about education reform so I also decided to be an Educational Studies concentrator. It’s a really interesting balance; I’m getting paid to do community work on this issue I care about, and I also work in a department that looks at education from a theoretical and applied perspective. My post-Carleton career plans are definitely being centered on education, social change, and community based organizing,” Nayowith said.
Nayowith says she would recommend the community-based work study program for anyone who qualifies and is interested. “I’ve learned so much from other tutors who have really insightful and interesting things to say about their positionality in the work they are doing. Also Julie Bubser, my boss, has been an awesome resource and source of support. Community-based work study is a great mix of community, staff, and student relationships that has made this the highlight of my time at Carleton.”