Adamaris Rodriguez-Muro was looking for a way to learn about Fresno when she transferred to Fresno State from Reedley College. The only place she knew in town — besides the university — was the airport.
So, she turned to service learning.
“I was very curious, and that’s when I learned to do community service hours,” said Rodriguez-Muro of Cutler-Orosi. “I saw it as an opportunity to network and meet people.”
The sociology major and humanics minor interned with Wayfinders, an independent living certificate program for young adults with intellectual disabilities at Fresno State. She got involved with the Humanics Program, which connects students with community-benefit organizations that address social problems in local communities. She interned with The Maddy Institute, and later with Congressman Jim Costa’s office, where she worked directly with people in the community.
“I was always trying to help people who needed a little bit of guidance,” Rodriguez-Muro said. When I came to Fresno State, I had to find my community, find what the needs are and how I could help. It was that want — to have that sense of community and wanting to help others — that I desired. And I found it during my two years at Fresno State.”
Rodriguez-Muro, who graduated this past May, was among thousands of Fresno State students, faculty and staff who, for the 17th consecutive year, provided more than 1 million service hours to the community.
The annual Service Impact on the Community Report by the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning at Fresno State estimates the economic impact of that service — 1.39 million hours — to be nearly $60 million.
The 2026 value of an hour of volunteer time in California was $41.75 based on calculations from the Independent Sector, a national nonpartisan network of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and professionals. When combined with financial support that students received, such as stipends, federal work-study or scholarships, that impact reached $59.4 million during the 2025-26 academic year.
“The commitment that Fresno State has to service is astounding. Each and every year, students, faculty and staff show up and engage — helping our community while discovering the humanity in themselves,” said Dr. Matthew Jendian, director of the Richter Center.
The services provided by the Fresno State community range from tutoring to alternative spring break, campus blood drives, activities performed by campus clubs and organizations, community revitalization and mentorship. Last year, Fresno State exceeded 1.6 million hours of service, an all-time high.
