Recently, as part of the KRA Career Institute’s (KCI) ongoing community-support and field-excursion program, the students enrolled in the KCI Dental Assistant Training Program for Out-of-School Youth (OSY) visited the 125th East Side Library in New York City. Accompanied by Cindy Medina, KRA Career Agent, the students seized the opportunity to obtain library cards and to check-out books on the field of Dentistry. Some youth reported that it was their first time ever in a public library, and that they were amazed at all the services libraries provide. Medina commented, “Many students stated they thought it was only a place to take out books, not knowing that the library also houses a computer lab, and provides free Microsoft Word classes, pre-employment workshops, and on-site programs for the elderly.” Many students intend to continue visiting the library to complement their KCI classroom work and to expand their knowledge of the Dentistry profession. One student, who has been a U.S. citizen for only 5 months, aptly summed up the experience: “The wealth of knowledge that’s contained inside of one building is phenomenal.”
