[dropcap cap=J]orge[/dropcap] Mas has an appointment to learn more about informal lending in the Hispanic community.

The downside? "Informal lending" actually means loan-sharking, it's 8 pm, and he'll be having this meeting while the loan shark-or "prestamisa"-makes his evening rounds through New York's Corona neighborhood.

What brought Mas on this decidedly unendorsed adventure was a comprehensive study on Informal Lending that he was conducting for his summer Service Project internship with ACCION New York.

"This is in no way typical of what ACCION interns do," explains Mas, a senior in the Mendoza College of Business. "But, it was critical for me to learn how informal lending works within the Hispanic community. It was probably my only opportunity to learn how it really works from the vantage point of the prestamistas and those who have relied on these prestamistas."

Although his meeting with the prestamistas was the source of unexpected excitement, most of his research was considerably more staid and made good use of his business school skills. For example, he conducted market research on access to banking, recruited participants for focus groups and worked with community leaders and banking partners.

Based on his research, he developed a marketing plan to communicate ACCION New York's services within the community. This also made up a core analysis that ACCION New York's board hopefully will be able to use to refine and improve its lending practices.

Mas' internship highlights a key aspect of service work. There is a widespread acknowledgement on the part of the University and the Center that research on social problems can be a vital aspect to service work.

As Mas explains, the prestamistas provide short-term loans to businesses and individuals at exorbitantly high interest rates. These rates typically run about five percent per week to as high as 25 percent. These prestamistas exploit the fact that many in the Hispanic community fail to understand banking, developing credit and accessing capital.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the average per capita income in these communities is $10,000 (two-fifths of the national average), the poverty rate for single female-headed households is 65 percent, and the general unemployment rate hovers around 14 percent.

"Financial literacy initiatives such as ACCION are needed in order to provide people with the necessary tools to build their own personal wealth, foster financial stability and to be able to strengthen the potentially stable communities that they reside in," explains Mas. "Individual in these communities have the right to economic initiatives, to productive work, to just wages and benefits and to decent working conditions," said Mas, citing the Catholic Bishops Conference on Economic Justice. "None of these aspirations can or will be met without the implementation of a strong and effective financial education programs within communities such as Corona and Washington Heights."

As for Mas, his time spent in New York has helped him refine his ambitions after graduation. "There is so much that needs to be done," said Mas. "I hope to go to work for an organization like ACCION after graduation.

"I know that if we can educate in low income communities, we can make a difference."