News & Events Archive

Internship Program Gives Glendora High Graduate Head Start on Job Market

By Henry Montemayor

In a time when the nation's unemployment rate for recent college graduates has spiked, finding a job straight out of college can be a daunting task. For others, such as Nelson Rony, a first year student at the University of California at Santa Barbra, a chance meeting with a guest speaker in one of his classes has helped him beat the discouraging statistic.

Rony, a graduate of Glendora High School met Jared Ryan, an owner of a company called College Works painting, when Ryan was promoting his business in one of Rony’s classes.

"College Works have been offering this internship for over 20 years," Rony said. "He came to our class and talked about his business. He then passed out a sign out sheet. He called me, gave me an interview, and now he is my mentor as he showed me all aspects of the business from the monetary side to the production side," Rony said.

Of the more than 1,500 interested students, only 50-60 were chosen to participate in the internship, which will teach them the business in a hands-on environment as the student run a branch of the business over the summer.

The program was founded in 1993 and has hired more than 2,000 college graduates every year.

Rony explained that information of the internship will be circulated during the later part of the fall quarter. Recruitment will then take place during the winter quarter so that the actual internship can begin in the spring quarter.

"In the spring I will pass out flyers, promoting my business and doing all the marketing aspect of the business, including giving estimates and scheduling painting jobs," Rony said. "Then in the summer, it’ll become a full time job where I will hire and contract painters and began the actual painting of the houses, aside from organizing payroll and managing customer relationships."

A proud citizen of Glendora, Rony chose to start his business in Glendora.

"I am starting up my business branch in this great city which has given me so much," he said.

A recent study has shown that while the jobless recovery continues and the national unemployment rate stood at 9.0percent in January. The jobless figures for college graduates is significantly lower, at 4.2 percent.

"I am doing this basically for the real world experience as I learn the business," Rony said. "Something that I can put on my resume and distinguish myself to the community."

Rony says that it is a once in a lifetime experience and that those who are considering doing the internship to go through with it.

"Go for it and check it out," he said. "It is a great learning experience, a learning too and a great resume builder."

UC Irvine student awarded business scholarship

UC Irvine junior Marko Tomov, a management minor at The Paul Merage School of Business, garnered a $2,500 Future Business Leader scholarship presented by Newport Beach-based The Waltos Group of Northwestern Mutual and Northwestern Mutual Foundation.

An Irvine resident, Tomov (pictured with Shelby Olsen and Kate Eder of The Waltos Group of Northwestern Mutual) received the award based on his application and “Roadmap of My life” essay, which details his dedication to his studies, future ambitions and commitment to being a productive and charitable member of the community.

Tomov is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), who served the community as an EMT for two years before pursuing his business studies at UCI. Slated to graduate in May 2010 with a major in biomedical engineering and a minor in management, Tomov maintains a 3.75 GPA and has earned many honors. He has also been a leader of Phi Kappa Psi, a University of California philanthropic fraternity, and is a management intern at College Works Painting. Tomov holds memberships with the Biomedical Engineering Society and OCTANe Nex.

“Marko Tomvo’s leadership, ambition and entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with his compassion and dedication to the community, makes him the ideal recipient of the Future Business Leaders Scholarship,” says Bob Waltos, managing partner of The Waltos Group. “We look forward to the opportunity to mentor him as he continues his studies and ultimately as he achieves the success he deserves.”

The Waltos Group of Northwestern Mutual and Northwestern Mutual Foundation offer the $2,500 scholarship each year to an exceptional sophomore, junior or senior who is pursuing a major or minor degree at The Paul Merge School of Business. The scholarship is designed to fund the winning students’ education and expose him or her to the business world through the student’s interaction with a mentor from The Waltos Group.

College students painting houses

During this recession, college students find a way to pay for rising tuition costs. Juan Lopez, a senior at California State University, Chico, has started his own business painting houses in Tehama and Shasta counties. Lopez is Branch Manager for College Works Painting in the Redding/Red Bluff area. He has recruited students from Butte College and Shasta College to work for him. painting homes during the summer. College Works Painting gives students the opportunity to develop management and communication skills by running their own business. The recruitment and training process is intense. The experience sets students apart from their colleagues and allows them to better compete for a job after college. College Works Painting is the largest residential house painting company in the US, painting over 12,000 homes each year. The company has been in business for over 20 years and all of their work is backed with a 2-5 year warranty. The company is fully licensed and insured and has a 97 percent customer satisfaction rate. Lopez is offering free estimates to homeowners for exterior house paining. He can be contacted at (530) 566-4043. www.collegeworks.com

10 best part-time jobs for college students

With classes starting soon, students start to scout out extra cash for books and food. But how to find the ideal part-time job to help finance your tuition and fun funds? If flipping burgers won't cut it for you, consider one of the following 10 best part-time jobs for students, as named by our unscientific Money College ranking.

1. Barista. Starbucks offers more than an extra caffeine boost for sleep-deprived college workers. Part-timers (part-time usually comes near 20 hours per week at the shops) receive a variety of benefits. Depending on workers' personal situations and specific job descriptions, these bonuses include perks such as medical, prescription drugs, dental and vision coverage. Starbucks baristas make between $6 and $13 per hour, depending on location and experience.

2. Whole Foods staff. Get paid while you head to the tropics for spring break. At Whole Foods, both part-time and full time employees receive paid time off that's based on the amount of hours worked. Whole Foods came in at number 15 in Fortune Magazine's list of the top 100 companies to work for. Benefits, such as health and dental insurance, are offered after you've worked anywhere from 400 to 800 hours. According to Glassdoor.com, the average team member makes almost $11 an hour.

3. School library services. Get some studying done on the clock. Many colleges offer library jobs through work study. The downside is that work study sets a limit on the total amount of money students can make throughout the year. On the other hand, the perks of working at school include ample study time, a shorter commute and the boss' understanding of the crazy schedule that comes with your student status. Work study jobs usually pay around minimum wage, which varies from state to state.

4. Car dealership receptionist. Former Maplewood Imports employee Keri Trudell and current worker Jenna Whitcomb agree that working as a receptionist at a car dealership is the ideal part-time job for students. Both women started at around $10 an hour working for the Minnesota dealership and enjoyed downtime during shifts. The free time allows plenty of extra hours to devote to papers and reading. "Not everyone's eligible for work study so this is a great alternative," said Whitcomb, who attends the University of Minnesota. "Plus, I don't have a cutoff of earnings like I would if I had a work study job."

5. Computer store worker. Be the first to hear about the latest gadgets by working at a computer store. Apple stores even offer tuition assistance, depending on the position, location and time spent with Apple. The generous discount on computers, iPhones, iPads and iPods doesn't hurt either.

6. Arts instructor. Turn your hobby into a paycheck. That's what Annika Nynas did when she started working as a dance instructor at Red River Dance and Performing Company in Fargo, N.D. She makes $15 an hour at the studio, but devotes hours of her own time to choreographing pieces. "I don't get paid a ton, but since I've always been passionate about dance, the time flies when I'm teaching," said Nynas, who attends Minnesota State University, Moorhead. "It's really rewarding to watch my girls improve. I'm so lucky to love my job."

7. College bar tending/serving. The hours may be late, but talk friends into visiting to brighten up a dull shift. Familiar faces of fellow students lend to laughs and more understanding customers. Although most serving and bar tending jobs pay minimum wage, generous tips often double the pay.

8. Residence advisor. Many universities offer free or discounted rooms for residence assistants (also called residence advisors). Rachel Conley, a student at Evergreen State College in Washington, loves working as an RA because, as an out-of-state tuition payer, school costs are high. Working in the dorms eliminates rent from her long list of student bills. Most, but not all, RA jobs qualify as work study so not every student is necessarily an eligible applicant.

9. Home painting. Manage a paint team with College Works Painting. Control your own branch of painters and clients. This means that you get paid a percentage of each job's profit rather than an hourly wage. According to the company's site, a branch manager can make anywhere between $5,000 to $36,000 per year depending on the team's performance. The company even awards bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 to some above-average workers.

10. Paid internships. Kill two birds with one stone by tracking down a paid internship. Most schools will knock off a few credits if the internship fulfills the university's requirements. Internships provide experience in your specific field, which usually piques interns' interest and beefs up resumes. Although tough to come by in the current job market, paid internships essentially pay you to learn. Some don't pay at all, but in financial and business areas, interns often make $10 to $15 per hour.