Ethnic Studies has a rich tradition of giving back to the communities from which we all come. Beginning with the introduction of the first Ethnic Studies classes at San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley in 1969, students and faculty alike believed that our efforts would be exploitative in nature without providing meaningful services to the communities we study. Over the last few years, the Department of Ethnic Studies at California State University, Sacramento has committed itself to becoming engaged in the communities surrounding our University.

Hiram Johnson High School and its surrounding community were selected by the Department to be the community we would be engaged in. In the spring of 2002, students from the Department worked with the Healthy Start office at Hiram Johnson High School to administer a door-to-door Needs Assessment Survey. Once completed, the Department of Ethnic Studies used the findings to determine where our efforts could be the most useful. Beginning in the fall of 2002, an Ethnic Studies class was taught to four sections of Hiram Johnson High School Freshman by Instructor James Fabionar and a team of Sacramento State undergraduate and graduate students.

Data showed that Hiram Johnson High School and Will C. Wood Middle School students benefited from the extra assistance of university students serving as tutors in the areas most highly tested in mandatory standardized tests: English and Math. Beginning in the spring of 2003, the Ethnic Studies launched its English and Math Tutoring/Mentoring Program at Hiram Johnson High School and Will C. Wood Middle School and received incredible feedback from the teachers and administrators of these schools. The middle and high school students benefited greatly from having extra help from university students; university students benefited greatly from their experiences in the community.

Important Dates

Become a tutor/mentor by attending Fall 2009 Orientation or Make-up Orientation.

"Service-Learning is an important community service tool for students to learn from their service and therefore in return the community benefits from better trained and committed student service providers."

"Uniting in partnership with community members, service learning incites processes of democractic prosperity and educational equity."

"Service learning helps develop students into active and conscientious citizens. It is an integral part to a student’s education."

"For the experience of working with incredible people of different backgrounds in our community."