Anyone connected with ICA knows there is something very special about it. Not only does it have history, tradition, and passion for helping the young women of San Francisco’s Mission District and beyond but it also incorporates a Corporate Work Study Program. There are a number of people who make the program what it is, one of which is the program director, Max Straube.
Before joining ICA, Max was entering an era his wife calls his “second half” (he was 45 at the time). Claire, Max’s wife, encouraged him to take some time to refocus and use his energy and experience on something with more personal meaning and merit. While this thought process led him to consider a wide range of possibilities, including conservancy efforts in Montana, he ultimately decided to pursue the position for CBFO at ICA. His background working with startups was a perfect fit for a school starting a Cristo Rey work study program, and he valued the opportunity to work with high school students, helping them to succeed.
When Max thinks about his time at ICA, what he enjoys most is working with the students. He values the opportunity to work alongside students who are perhaps struggling with the work-school balance. He encourages them along the way and delights when it clicks for the students and they really start to thrive. He can remember several students at risk of not meeting the work study requirements who eventually excelled in their jobs and at school. Sending them off in the morning wearing their uniforms, knowing they’re accomplishing something and that they belong to the ICA community, is a wonderful thing.
A Typical Day
A typical day for Max starts with student check in and departure for work. This is really the nuts and bolts of the program. It demonstrates preparedness on the part of the students.
Max deals with a lot of issues throughout the day, whether it’s student absences and other workplace issues or parental concerns. He manages maintaining sponsor relationships, answering questions, and helping sponsors sign up for the next year. Max also manages new sponsor prospecting, forming relationships and encouraging new businesses to sign on to the program.
Memorable Moments
Some of the most memorable moments for Max are when students get summer employment offers directly through the companies they worked for during the year. This is tangible evidence of the program’s training, students’ initiative, and their work ethic. These offers show how much the company appreciates the students as employees. Last summer 25 ICA students were hired directly by companies for summer employment.
Also memorable are conversations and letters of thanks from students and families who receive financial assistance from ICA. Many families would not be able to have their daughters attend because of the financial strains they face. When they receive financial assistance and realize that this type college preparatory education is available to them, many are overwhelmed with gratitude. Max particularly values these experiences and even saves some ‘thank you’ letters from students and families as a reminder of his purpose at ICA.
Words of Advice
If Max could give all ICA students one bit of advice, he would say “seize the opportunity.” He realizes ICA students do a lot of work. They go through four years of tough college prep work, and work a quarter of a full-time job. But at the end, each student will be in a position enviable by other high school graduates - prepared for and accepted into college, with four years of corporate clerical work experience that they can list on the resumes.
Fun Fact
If Max could have dinner with any person, past or present, who would he choose? “Easy! Thomas Jefferson! He built the United States into a coast-to-coast nation with a passion for discovery.” This passion for unreached areas is not dissimilar, in Max’s mind, to Mother Maria Pia Backes, and the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, launching into new territory, eventually founding Immaculate Conception Academy in 1883.
Thank you, Max, for your great work at ICA!
