|
|
Fred Piegonski, Executive Assistant to the President For Immediate Release: August 28, 2006 |
|
|
|
||
|
Elaine Geismar, Director of the Student Assistance Center at LACC, answers students’ questions at the counter. |
||
|
LACC’s Elaine Geismar—Promoting
Careers in Human Services |
||
|
“I remember the time when an older male student came to my office and he started to cry,” said Elaine Geismar, head of LA City College’s Student Assistance Center. "I asked, ‘How can I help you?’ “ ‘I have no problem,’ he said. ‘I have a 4.0 in all my classes and now I’m going to transfer to a four-year school. You told me I can do it and I believed you. And I kept remembering what you said. Because it was you who believed in me. And I want to give you credit for my success.’ “ ‘But it was you who did the work,’ I said.” “It is encounters like this that always stay with me,” said Ms. Geismar who has worked more than 30 years assisting LACC students. “I tell my students that they are all worthwhile,” she said. “Each one owns a piece of the planet and they should take advantage of it. There are many ways up the mountain. If one doesn’t work, the other one will.” Ms. Geismar has been heading the college’s Student Assistance Center since the ’70s, where she’s instituted a hands-on approach to providing answers to first-time students. They come to the center to find information on how to enroll, or look for a room for rent in the housing listings, or for a job on the job board. A multilingual staff is always there to serve them at the center’s busy counter in room 105 of the Administration Building. A long-time instructor for the college’s psychology department, Ms. Geismar also teaches Psych 43, a class in open communications and group dynamics. She herself was a graduate of LACC's program and she holds a bachelor's from Immaculate Heart College and a master's in clinical psychology from Antioch University. Ms. Geismar noted that she has many contacts in the field, including social workers in rehab facilities, who refer potential students to her. As a result, she provides information to over 50 students each semester who wish to enter one of psychology’s two certificate programs, one in the human services generalist area and the other in alcohol and drug counseling. Graduates of the two-year programs go on to work as paraprofessionals in local social welfare agencies, community centers, halfway houses, or the VA Hospital, where they counsel individuals under the watchful eye of a licensed counselor. One of the hallmarks of LACC’s certificate programs is that they require students to complete internships with local community agencies for three semesters. “This is a distinct plus,” said Ms. Geismar, “as students often get jobs at these agencies once they graduate from the college,” said Ms. Geismar. “I encourage anyone interested in securing a job in the human services field to check out LACC’s programs,” said Ms. Geismar. “With your training here, you’ll get a job much faster. Then, too, many facilities require employees to have certificates.” On the walls of Ms. Geismar’s office are posted many humorous sayings and magazine cartoons with quips about her field. One of them reads: “The latest classical studies prove that there are no answers.” The statement is purely ironic, of course, given all the information that the Student Assistance Center and Elaine Geismar have dispensed to LACC’s students over the years. “I love the field,” said Ms. Geismar. “But more importantly I love the students. They’ve kept me alert and feeling productive.” LACC’s fall
semester classes are set to start Sept. 5. The college is located at 855 N.
Vermont Avenue in Hollywood. For information, call (323) 953-4000, ext.
2455. #### |
||
