Article written by Karen Stahr and Published in the De La Salle Newsletter

At DLSNC we love “full circle” accounts like the one you’ll find below because they are a testament to the phenomenal power of the Corporate Work Study model. This pattern happens regularly for DLSNC students and their CWSP employers. Here’s a recent example:

“We are a better business because of this program,” Denise George, Marketing Director at Sussman Shank LLP, recently remarked. Sussman has been host to DLSNC students since 2011, making it, in Denise’s words, “a richer place to work…It is so rewarding watching the students grow; honestly, everyone around them grows.”

One such student is Josue Moreno-Loa ‘18 whose CWSP assignment in the fall of 2014 was Sussman Shank. “I wasn’t particularly excited about working in a law firm when I first started,” Josue shared. “Then I realized that the people are not like in law shows on tv. They turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected.” After graduating from DLSNC, Josue attended Portland State University, majoring in history, and continued working at Sussman during school breaks. During the pandemic, Josue increased his hours at Sussman and was considered essential staff.  

After Josue’s graduation from PSU this summer, a position opened up in the Sussman Copy Center, and the choice to fill it was obvious. Elizabeth Seltzer, Support Services Director at Sussman, has been overseeing the CWSP program since its inception and is Josue’s direct supervisor. Elizabeth observed, “Josue, from the get-go, was one of our best students. He asked good questions, and was a go-getter, thinking outside the box.” When there was a need for a new Copy Center clerk, she immediately thought of Josue. “I knew his skill set, and I knew he would do really well.”

One part of Josue’s new role at Sussman will be training current CWSP students when they are working in the Copy Center as well as serving as a relatable role model. Josue’s advice for current CWSP students is, “Always be attentive because you never know how it will benefit you later in life. Look at me now–I got hired full-time, and the firm really trusts me with greater responsibilities. It makes me really happy to be helping out as I do.”