Class about more than just academics

By Rachel Schwartz

Finding spare change in the couch is fundraising for the average student, but for one English class, raising money makes the grade.

Students in Dolores LaGuardia's Writing for Business class have raised over $500,000 for local non-profit organizations since the inception of the class three years ago.

"I tell them on the first day of class that they are here to write and to make the world a better place," LaGuardia said.

Students form groups that become mock corporations, complete with their own name, business cards and letterhead.

The groups then develop a business plan for a fundraising project that will benefit a local organization.

Friends of LaGuardia in the business world review proposals. LaGuardia hopes to set up a mentoring program so that students will be able to further establish contacts with working professionals in their field.

"We talk about building your network," LaGuardia said.

"You learn that it's not just the writing that you do, it's the format, the paper it's printed on, the envelope you send it in. It all makes an impression on your audience," junior Robert Petrini said. Petrini took the class winter quarter, raising $8,000 for the Children's Miracle Network.

Past groups have worked on projects that have brought computers to local elementary schools and shoes to disadvantaged children. Although not every event is successful, each teaches lessons about teamwork in the business world.

"You're learning all the business stuff hands-on," sophomore Gary Boitano said. "And you do something good for the community."

Boitano's group is hosting a softball tournament to bring in donations for the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Major corporations have picked up some of the more successful projects.

Starbucks picked up a program that recycles their gift cards and Cisco Systems continued the Shoes for Soles program that delivers shoes to Colombia.

In addition to the proposal, students work on resumes and conduct mock interviews, giving students a chance to practice their business skills.

"There's always something new, she keeps us involved," Boitano said.

Senior Mary Kolesnikova is part of a group that will run workshops focusing on religious tolerance for high school students at Milpitas and Fremont High Schools.

Kolesnikova is not a business major, but decided to take the class to expand her technical writing skills. Double majoring in theater and English has given her plenty of creative writing experience, but she felt that this class could open her to the world of grant writing, proposals and other business writing techniques, she said.

"You learn through doing. It's completely your responsibility to plan and execute these projects -- it's sink or swim," Kolesnikova said.

LaGuardia believes strongly in learning through real-world experience and community outreach. The projects are so successful because they have that real-life element, LaGuardia said.

"Santa Clara wants students to really try what they're doing," LaGuardia said. "I can tell them how powerful the pen is, but getting them to actually do is when they learn the most."

Contact Rachel Schwartz at (408) 554-4546 or rschwartz@scu.edu

The story incorrectly spelled the name of the recipient country of Cisco Systems' Shoes for Soles program. The country is Colombia.Because of an editing error, the story incorrectly stated the department of the Writing for Business class. It is an English class.