Sandro Perrino | Lindenlink staff

Is Work and Learn for you?

Lindenwood offers students the chance to work on campus to help pay for room and board and learn from the work experiences. Whether international or American, resident students can participate in Lindenwood’s Work and Learn program.

Work and Learn offers a variety of jobs, focused on different environments and careers so students can learn to work and develop professional skills in their preferred field.

Jose Enrique Manzanares has done Work and Learn for two years. He started in the cafeteria, moved to housekeeping and then became an assistant in the student development office.

“I think this is the best job that I consider Lindenwood has to offer because I always try to help people learn more about Lindenwood and its surroundings,” he said. “I improve my communication skills, make good friends and get to interact with Student Development staff. If I had the choice I would rather stay here. I think it’s worth it.”

Amanda Inocencio, a mass communications student, has been working in the faculty mail room for a year. “I really like it. I work here because there is always something to do and I don’t like to waste my time. I meet a lot of faculty and staff. I also get to go to the president’s office.”

“Sometimes it’s stressful because people turn a little mad when their package can’t be found.” She said there are three mail rooms — the receiving dock, for heavy and big packages, the student mail room and the faculty mail room. Inocencio said the mail room or residential assistant were her top two job preferences.

Arnaldo Salazar, a pre-engineering student, works at the Welcome Center in the graduate and evening admissions office. He is in charge of making copies, filing documents, office housekeeping and taking mail to the faculty mail room.

“It is a good job. I learn and develop different abilities,” Salazar said. “This is a job where I have to be constant. It is funny, not boring. People here are good and interactive with cool energy. My job is not that hard because I don’t get too tired. Also, I would not like to change anything about it.”

As for his favorite job, Salazar said he would rather work as ambassador or for lindenlink.com. “My work here is worth it because it is a good experience for the future and a good way to start from the bottom, and I think everything we have done will pay off.”

Kristie Keys, a graduate student in business administration, works in the Lindenwood Spirit Shoppe as a grad assistant. “Parts of it are really fun and parts are stressful. The fun happens when vendors come in and I help them decide what we should sell.” She said she enjoys giving her opinions and working with people.

“It’s stressful sometimes because counting inventory is hard. We are many workers, and some people recount something that’s already been counted.”

She said many international students work there so she interacts and learns a lot about different cultures and languages. Keys said that she would like to be more organized and make certain areas more efficient. “If I had the choice I would work as graduate assistant for a sports team, and it is worth it because I am working for my tuition and room and board.”

Sebastian Salas works in catering in the cafeteria. He is from Chile, majoring in economics.

“I have been working there for five months. We focus on Lindenwood’s events like staff reunions, major events, registration, homecomings and special meal events on campus,” he said.

“I like my job because I learn every formality of dinners. We also learn how to treat respectfully a person when serving. It is not easier nor harder than any other job on campus; it is just different,” Salas said. “I think that every student should pass through this work because it teaches you to respect the people who work there instead of treating them like simple employees.”

Salas said his preferred jobs are in catering or tutoring Spanish.

Juan Pablo Ramirez, from Colombia, works at the Spellmann cafeteria. He is a mass communications and business administration student. He worked in the cafeteria his freshman year and during summer sessions.

“I have a good time when I work with my friends, but sometimes the managers they make me work while others don’t do anything productive,” he said. “I do pretty much everything. I work at the dish room, serve the food, clean and wipe tables.”

Though Ramirez said he values his work, he would prefer to change his Work and Learn to LUTV.

Nicole Nave, a political science and philosophy student, started at the Work and Learn office this summer.

“It is nice. You get to socialize with people at LU and make relationships with faculty,” she said. “A lot of people come to the Spellmann Center, so it lets you meet them because pretty much everybody passes by.”

Nave said she would love to stay at the Work and Learn office until she graduates.