Marquette students don't have to be earning a paycheck to be making their mark in the world. Some of the most important work they do is absolutely free.

Volunteers from Marquette have an impact on the world beyond campus boundaries. Students are fulfilling service requirements for class and others just want a way to give back. Some students even hold positions of authority where they can direct the efforts of an organization, locally and nationally.

One such student is the lieutenant governor for the metropolitan Milwaukee area group Circle K International, the college division of the service group Kiwanis Club. Anette Divjak, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, represents a total of six Circle K clubs, including Marquette's, to the district board of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

"I said I'm going to take this leadership position but I'm not going to let that stop my service," Divjak said.

Divjak was elected to a one-year term at the organization's district convention in March.

Divjak said she brings service opportunities to her clubs from the Circle K board and comes up with her own ideas for events as well. She came up with a personal goal of doing at least two projects in the metro area, and she also tells the clubs about any other service opportunities she finds.

One of the metro service projects Divjak organized was Cider Sunday, an event where volunteers go to the Wehr Nature Center in Franklin to do activities with children. The event was held on Sunday.

Stan Cravens, the district administrator for Circle K in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan , said every club has different focuses.

"Primarily, they focus on community service both on the campus and in the community where the campus is located," Cravens said.

Divjak said one of her favorite activities was United Cerebral Palsy, where volunteers played with disabled children and their siblings to give their parents a night off.

"It's a great experience because there's so much to be learned," Divjak said.

Another Marquette student who coordinates large-scale service projects is Jason Bolton, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences . Bolton is the secretary of international and multicultural concerns for the Lutheran Student Movement, which all Lutheran Campus Ministry clubs across the country belong to .

"I really wanted the position because I got to plan national service projects," Bolton said.

Bolton was elected at the annual convocation in Houston for a year-long term.

Bolton's first national project will be held the week of Nov. 21. During the Lutheran Student Movement Sleepout, students across the country will set up and sleep in cardboard villages to educate others about homelessness.

"I do service because I am a really strong proponent of civic engagement," Bolton said.

Cravens, spokesman for Circle K, said doing service work during college gives students a background that continues after graduation.

"It sets the stage for what will be important to them after they leave school," Cravens said. "If they do that in college, they continue to do that after they leave almost immediately."

Divjak said one of the great things about Marquette is its dedication to service.

"Compassion doesn't stop because we're busy," Divjak said. "Compassion doesn't stop because of the amount of work we get as students. We see the need for what we do and we'll lose endless hours of sleep and dedicate it instead to service."

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on October 4, 2005.