Community Work-Study Program celebrates 50 years

By Olivia Hall, Einhorn Center for Community Engagement
When Ying Lin Zhao ’26 first started working at the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, a nonprofit that aims to improve the quality of life in the county through collaborations, philanthropy and inclusion, she didn’t know what to expect.
“Before this job, I didn’t have a clue what to do as my career, but now I’ve learned a lot of problem-solving skills and have found my passion for data analytics,” said Zhao, a double major in statistical science and information science in the College of Arts and Sciences, who helped the organization build a dashboard to showcase its work, analyzed donation data and managed a database.