Making a Difference Can Be a Part-Time Job

Wilhelmina Maame Takyi ’28 (SUNY Geneseo/Photographer)

SUNY Geneseo students are working in food insecurity, sustainability, and other fields while earning money as part of the Empire State Service Corps (ESSC).

Students selected for the ESSC engage in public service for 300 hours during the academic year—in cohorts of their choosing—on campus or at a community-based host site. Students are paid an hourly wage while learning professional and lifelong skills. The ESSC was launched in 2024 by Governor Kathy Hochul.

Biology major Wilhelmina Maame Takyi ’28, an international student from Ghana, spent last summer as part of the “healthy futures” cohort, counting and organizing the inventory of Geneseo’s Knights Harvest Food Pantry in the MacVittie College Union. Takyi also helped student pantry coordinators transition to using software dedicated to food pantry use for a Fall 2026 launch. The food pantry offers food and hygiene items to any student in need.

“Our students are very service-minded, so the Empire State Service Corps is a really good fit,” said Jessie Stack Lombardo, executive director of Geneseo’s Career Design Center and coordinator of Geneseo’s ESSC program. “We already have a lot of students who are out in the community doing volunteer work. Their ability to be paid for it aligns with the college’s goal of ensuring every student can participate in these kinds of service opportunities. There are students who would like to volunteer and engage in service, but can’t afford to quit their part-time jobs to do so. This program allows students to use their skills, to learn, and to make a difference.”

Twenty-six students have participated in the program since its inception, serving as K-12 tutors, student success coaches, sustainability advocates, and working to alleviate food insecurity.

Stack Lombardo hopes the number of Geneseo service corps students will double in 2026–27, as Hochul recently announced additional cohorts and has expanded corps annual membership from 500 to 1,000 SUNY students. Eligible ESSC members may also enroll in AmeriCorps, another key component of the program, allowing them to earn an additional education award of up to $1,400 upon completing their initial 300 hours of service. The new cohorts include:

• civic engagement
• education
• environmental stewardship
• veterans and military family outreach
• healthy futures

Takyi hopes to continue her placement at the food pantry in 2026–27.

“I loved it so much, I chose to stay on as a volunteer,” says Takyi. “I knew about the food pantry, but not the true significance. When I went behind the scenes and saw the effort my fellow students put in counting and packing bags and coordinating items and student pickups, I was happy to do this and wanted to help.”