Student Experience at College of San Mateo
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Student Experience
Mercedes Teuntor
Mercedes Teuntor College of San Mateo, Dental Assisting

Mercedes Teuntor, a 21-year-old dental assisting student, was just looking for a job when she talked with CSM's Student Employment Office last year. But what she found in her position as a student ambassador turned out to be considerably more--for her and CSM.

"I learned a lot--it was great, "Mercedes said. "It wasn't so much a paycheck; it was more about enjoying the job. "Over the summer and fall of 2007, Mercedes worked with Alex Guiriba, an outreach specialist at CSM. They worked on a number of projects together, many of which called for Mercedes to be in contact with the community, which she thoroughly enjoyed. "Mercedes is a people person," Guiriba said. "Faculty and staff loved her and she also interacted well with parents and students.Mercedeswas able to make a positive contribution to the CSM community."

Mercedes' tasks varied from handling certain logistics for CSM's information tables at the San Mateo County Fair to working the booths for Operation Welcome Mat; and from maintaining the high school student database to contacting parents and students regarding the priority registration program for certain high school students. "Mercedes displayed quite a bit of maturity," said Guiriba. "She was very reliable and always put in quality effort each day she came into work. The wonderful work she put in with outreach was a reflection of her intelligence and willingness to work hard to reach success."

This semester, immersed in the demanding dental assisting program,Mercedes had to discontinue as a student ambassador-to her chagrin. Mercedes ultimate goal is to become a certified and registered dental assistant, while she still is considering transferring to a university to pursue a career as a doctor.

But this summer when her classroom demands subside, Mercedes plans to return to work as a student ambassador--this time as a volunteer because, as she reminds, the job is more than the paycheck.