Job

One year and thousands of cups of coffee later, the partnership between Starbucks and Harlem nonprofit Abyssinian Development Corporation has exceeded its promised donations to the community.

In the 12 months since Starbucks started donating five cents for every cup of coffee sold at its store on Lenox Avenue and 125th Street, it has raised $110,000, beating its original goal by $10,000.

Cecilia Carter, Starbucks' vice president of global diversity, community and civic affairs, said the partnership reflects the corporation's long-term commitment to supporting Harlem. The Lenox store was the first to open in the neighborhood, in 1999.

"When we considered deepening our relationship and commitment to Harlem, we were looking for organizations that used a holistic approach to creating and supporting an uprising neighborhood," Carter said.

The donations primarily support Abyssinian's efforts to help local students, through programs such as Head Start and GED and high school diploma training, affordable housing construction projects, and job skills training. The chain also funds a grant program that encourages student leadership.

The grant program encourages target students—some of whom attend schools without a student government—to act on "what things they think they can change within their schools," said Damian Waugh, Starbucks' New York district manager.

"One of our priorities is supporting the youth of the communities where we live and work," Waugh said.

In addition to the donations to Abyssinian, Starbucks has also provided career guidance to students, including mock interview workshops, Waugh said. It has even hired some qualified students.

"We set up shop just as if we were actually interviewing candidates, and we give them real-live feedback," Waugh said. "If there are candidates that are available and we are in need, we would actually hire them as well."

Dupe Ajayi, Abyssinian's director of marketing and external affairs, said that students in the youth programs "highly admire this partnership and what it has meant to them in growing in their career," citing a meeting with Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz as a highlight.

The Lenox store is one of three Starbucks "community stores" nationally, which Carter said aim to support their neighborhood through a partnership with an existing organization.

Starbucks hosts monthly events centered on Abyssinian's core values, such as civic engagement, gratitude, and service. "The community store was designed as a hub for the community to know about what it is that's going on that impacts their world," Ajayi said. October's event, held at the Morningside Heights location to appeal to college students, was a presentation with Vote Everywhere to encourage civic engagement.

Although Starbucks and Abyssinian originally envisioned a one-year partnership, organizers expect the program to last longer. They have planned monthly events through January, when Ajayi hopes to have a service-based event in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"There's so much coming down the pipe from this partnership that's measurable and actionable," Ajayi said.

avantika.kumar@columbiaspectator.com

I've wanted to be a professor for as long as I can remember. As a child I inhaled books, and as an adolescent I realized I wanted to continue learning for the rest of my life. What better place to do that than a university? Even during my early days at Barnard, when I felt a bit like I didn't belong, like I got in by some strange fluke, I saw myself at a place like it in five, 10, 20 years—despite recognizing whom the school was built for and what system it feeds into.

Interviews are by far the most nerve-wracking aspect of the internship application process. A room full of monkeys randomly mashing typewriters will eventually write the complete works of Shakespeare, so you should be able to write a one-page cover letter if you pull enough all-nighters. Acting like a functional adult for a full half-hour interview is a different story entirely. Out of the kindness of my heart (and definitely not because I want everyone else to be as unemployed and miserable as me), I've prepared a few interview tips:

Interviews are by far the most nerve-wracking aspect of the internship application process. A room full of monkeys randomly mashing typewriters will eventually write the complete works of Shakespeare, so you should be able to write a one-page cover letter if you pull enough all-nighters. Acting like a functional adult for a full half-hour interview is a different story entirely. Out of the kindness of my heart (and definitely not because I want everyone else to be as unemployed and miserable as me), I've prepared a few interview tips:

It's actually the fall job fair. And we thought the line to get into Ferris Booth was long!

It's not news to anyone that every summer thousands of college students from across the country (and often the world) descend on the city to work hard and party hard during summer internships. As the admissions brochures love to advertise, Columbia students have the distinct advantage of living here all year to snatch up all the internships opportunities from all of the companies in New York looking to exploit free labor during the fall and spring semesters. At a recent club meeting, I couldn't help but notice how many of my peers mentioned internships in describing their semesters so far. And I convinced myself that it was a waste not to pursue at least some of the many opportunities available to me. Yet every step of the way, I kept wondering, "Why am I doing this again?" more I know that originally the answer was that I wanted to get real-world experience, which meant working during the year and not in the alternative world that summer can be. But what's real-world experience for someone not majoring in econ or destined for law or med school? Or generally for someone who doesn't have any particular career path in mind? But I also felt some pressure to apply for an internship. I've already spent two years as a college student, and have finally started getting the hang of that role. A prestigious internship seems like the next logical step, at least based on what I can gather from my peers. Yet the more I think about the prospect of having an internship during the year, the less I'm sure about it. Will it be too stressful on top of my already substantial workload? Will it actually be a valuable experience? Or do I just want to do it because everyone else is? Am I lame to want to stay within the cocoon of academia? Am I going to be behind if I make the decision not to have an internship? In the end, I still don't know the answer. Nathalie Barton is a junior in CC majoring in American Studies. She's aware that she'll probably have to settle for an unpaid internship instead of a job after graduation.

Ouch. Charles Ferguson, the guy responsible for Iraq war documentary "No End in Sight," has a new film out about the worldwide financial crisis. The film, called "Inside Job," takes aim at the usual host of greedy Wall St. types and inept government officials, but it also targets academics—including Glenn Hubbard, current dean of the Columbia Business School, and Frederic Mishkin, who teaches there.more