University of San Diego offers Electronics Recycling Center internship program

University of San Diego offers Electronics Recycling Center internship program
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The University of San Diego (USD) Electronics Recycling Center (ERC) is a nonprofit collection space that specializes in extending the useful life of donated electronics. Since late February, the center also has been a foundational learning space for six young people—a college graduate and five high school senior interns—providing them a chance to broaden their individual skills set and gain experience in the sustainability field that potentially can help them transition in future career opportunities.

Two years after graduating from San Diego State with a degree in recreation administration that emphasized sustainability, Nicky Kullback, serving as an AmeriCorps Climate Corps Fellow, was hired by the ERC in a mentoring and guidance capacity to oversee high school student interns this past spring.

She worked with five seniors from King-Chavez High School in downtown San Diego—Jose Garcia, Jose Luis Escobedo, Jonathan Baza, Noel Rodelo and Hector Del Castillo—giving them opportunities to assist the ERC staff with various tasks. The students were at the ERC, located at 5330 Linda Vista Rd., four times a week for three-hour shifts, rotating between four different areas of the facility.

At the front desk, they gained customer service experience and were able to help other employees translate whenever a Spanish-speaking customer appeared. In the computer lab, the students worked on donated computers to determine if they could be fixed by taking them apart and rebuilding them or if it was just good for the parts. In the back warehouse, they tackled small tasks or sorting. They also tested items that had been brought in to determine their reuse value.

“I feel it was a great experience for the high school students,” says Arthur Atkinson IV, ERC supervisor. “I think they were expecting to get the hands-on experience that they did get, but I think they got a lot more, too.”

T first-time opportunity could continue soon.

The ERC’s Assistant Supervisor Of Inventory And Recycling Matthew Dahlman says he enjoyed the chance to work with the students. “I wanted to make sure the time they spent here wasn’t going to be wasted. I was pleasantly surprised at how fast they learned it all.”

Once per week, the students were given the opportunity to collect old items and try to build a working computer from them. 

In addition to the skills they learned, a bond developed between Kullback and the students. “I saw a lot of social improvements in each of them,” she says. “When they first arrived, they were shy and timid; but, as time wore on, they gained more confidence in themselves. I learned a lot about their families, hobbies and more. It was a lot of fun being with them.”

Kullback’s guidance included taking the students a tour of the USD campus, discussing with them options such as community college, showing them what they’d need to know about financial aid and learning about academic programs such as computer science and engineering. Kullback also showed support by attending an exhibition event and a youth entrepreneurial program. There, Rodelo gave a presentation for a business plan he’d created and finished in second place.

“I was so proud of him. He even gave me a shout-out as a mentor,” Kullback says.

The students graduated this past month, and Kullback said two of the interns already enrolled at local community colleges.

Dahlman said all five students recently returned to the ERC to say hello and to thank the ERC staff again for the experience they were provided. “For them to do that spoke volumes as to what it meant,” he adds.

Kullback, who will be with the ERC in her AmeriCorps role until mid-August, says working with the internship program has widened her eyes to the possibility of a career path that can go beyond sustainability. “Education wasn’t on my radar as a career before, but it’s 100 percent on my radar now.”

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Source: Recycling Today
University of San Diego offers Electronics Recycling Center internship program
<![CDATA[The University of San Diego (USD) Electronics Recycling Center (ERC) is a nonprofit collection space that specializes in extending the useful life of donated electronics. Since late February, the center also has been a foundational learning space for six young people—a college graduate and five high school senior interns—providing them a chance to broaden their individual skills set and gain experience in the sustainability field that potentially can help them transition in future career opportunities. Two years after graduating from San Diego State with a degree in recreation administration that emphasized sustainability, Nicky Kullback, serving as an AmeriCorps Climate Corps Fellow, was hired by the ERC in a mentoring and guidance capacity to oversee high school student interns this past spring. She worked with five seniors from King-Chavez High School in downtown San Diego—Jose Garcia, Jose Luis Escobedo, Jonathan Baza, Noel Rodelo and Hector Del Castillo—giving them opportunities to assist the ERC staff with various tasks. The students were at the ERC, located at 5330 Linda Vista Rd., four times a week for three-hour shifts, rotating between four different areas of the facility. At the front desk, they gained customer service experience and were able to help other employees translate…