It’s a slow night today at the media center of theSacramento State Library.

Eden Neba walks around, neatly shelves and files items.It’s the end of the day, and yet he still does not show anysigns of exhaustion even though he had only three hours of sleepthe night before.

Neba is a junior majoring in computer engineering. He iscurrently working as a student assistant at the media center. Goingto school full time and working 20 hours a week is no easy task forthis hardworking student. Time management is a crucial requirementfor maintaining the perfect balance in the academic and workarenas.

“Usually at the media center, what I do is check out itemsfor patrons like videos, lap-tops (and) audio tapes,” Nebasaid.

His job consists of getting students acquainted with thedifferent technical equipment they have at the media center such asmicrofilm machines and microfiche.

Most of the time he helps people research for items they cannotfind by themselves. The most common visitors are criminal justiceand distance education students who come to the center to reviewclasses or get information on a specific project.

From time to time, working with the public can be an emotionalchallenge.

Neba’s job requires frequent interaction with students,who often may be in a hurry to complete assignments and therefore,may be quite demanding. Regardless of the situation, he insists onputting his best foot forward.

“I believe patrons deserve respect and professionalservice,” Neba said. “Without them, we wouldn’texist.”

Neba said, interacting on a daily basis with people and gettingto know them makes it even more enjoyable for him to come to work.His job has certainly given him the opportunity to meet people fromvarious backgrounds.

“You get to learn about their culture. That’s agreat opportunity,” Neba said. “If I was not working atthe media center, I would have never been exposed to people fromdifferent parts of the world.”

Besides going to school and working on campus, Neba is also anactive member of the National Society for Black Engineers and arepresentative for the African Club Association. He believesstudent groups are key because they allow you to network withprofessionals and prepare you for entry into the job market.

Neba hopes to graduate in a few semesters and knows that all hishard work and perseverance will pay off in the future.

Several hours of study still await him upon his return home, andtomorrow more of the same.