Enthusiastically responding to a call for acts of community service observing Martin Luther King Day, almost fifty College Forward students from Hays High School and Lehman High School reported for duty Saturday morning. Three dozen Rebs and more than a dozen Lobos turned out to offer their service, joining almost 300 other College Forward students across the Austin area.

The Hays students devoted their day to the Greater San Marcos Youth Council Children’s Center, where they painted picnic tables and organized the children’s game, arts and craft closet and hygiene closet. The Lehman contingent gave its time to the San Marcos Southside Community Center, organizing and beautifying the site’s grounds, doing art projects and learning about the center’s services.

Typifying student reactions to the experience was Hays High College Forward junior Alyssa Delgado who said “it made me want to get involved in the community. This place (the Children’s Center) has made such an impact, I might want to come down and volunteer on my own in the future.”

Assessing the student service at Children’s Center from a different perspective, Shelter Supervisor Nena Meadows, a 16-year staffer at the site, called the volunteers’ energy level “awesome,” commenting “This is by far one of the most energetic groups we’ve had here for their age and their maturity.”

College Forward provides college access and college persistence services to motivated, economically-disadvantaged students, in order to facilitate their transition to college and make the process exciting and rewarding. Its founders and staff believe that access to higher education is the right of every young Texan.

Organization spokesman Jesse Noyes says the group is “committed to giving back to the community, and to passing that dediation to the students we serve. That’s why the students who receive our services are required to carry out at least 20 hours of community service each year.”

They may have been called on to volunteer, but the commitment from all from both high schools Saturday appeared enthusiastically sincere. Hays students participating included seniors Keeley Haas, Gage Berry, Aysia Lopez, Sara Cervantes, Mariah Meza, Jeronimo Corral, Kimberly Cates, Kassie Guerra and Emma Aguilar.

Participating Hays juniors included Alyssa Delgado, Allyson Rubenzer, Cassandra Hernandez, Bianca Longoria, Travis Hogue, Irma Carlos, Alexandra Waldon, Tayler Griffith, Alaina McFadden, Leslie Hinds, Melody Garcia, Brittney Aguilar, Javon Baca and Nicholas Hallam.
Other Hays juniors included Rachel Hatmaker, Brittany Knedlik, Shawn Tarver, Stefen Navarro, Alex Rodas, Kaitlyn Amin, Fernanda Palacios, Keren Lopez and Mariela Villanueva.

Lehman High’s volunteers included Rey Bustamante, Diana Cordova, Zach Gutierrez, Sabrina Cortez, Celeste Ortuno, Keenen Colbert, Jerian Dylan, Juliana Acosta-Torres, Dominic Martinez, Phalen Feighner, Gonzalo Diaz, Matthew Robledo, Olivia Rodriguez, Misty Martinez, Sean Kypke, Brandie Sullivan, Bianca Jaquez and Jose Mata.