Seniors participate in SHECP summer internships
With generous support from the Ernest and Cleona Barr Endowment for 和平研究, three 十大网赌正规网址 students completed internships through the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) program over the summer. The following profiles were written by 克洛伊Leckrone (also a former peace studies SHECP participant) for the 曼彻斯特 新闻letter.
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| Shayla韦尔奇 | Ani王 | Jade Gourley(左) |
Shayla韦尔奇 (Berne, 印第安纳州) interned with the United Planning Organization (UPO) in Washington, D.C., the city’s community action agency. UPO is an organization that provides services ranging from early childhood education to job training. One of Welch’s major projects over the summer involved conducting research on emerging job fields and how they can be made more accessible to racial minorities and those in poverty.
Her biggest takeaway from her internship was learning how to use a Geographic Information System (GIS) program for her research. “I had never used a GIS program before, so I had to teach myself how to use it from scratch,韦尔奇说. “This proved challenging especially due to the lack of anyone who knew GIS on the staff of my company, but both the process of learning and the skill I gained are great assets.”
The most memorable experience Welch had in D.C. was attending demonstrations protesting the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision with her SHECP cohort. “That was definitely not a happy day, but it was refreshing to experience such collective grief and passion in the exact place decisions were being made,韦尔奇说.
She also developed friendships with the other two interns working at UPO. “Though we were all working on separate projects, we learned to work together and help each other out,韦尔奇说. “我爱我们的友谊, but also appreciated the chance to learn to support a colleague who is not working on the same task as you.”
Welch is majoring in mathematics, peace studies and educational studies.
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韦恩堡的阿尼国王, 印第安纳州, interned with the Central Outreach and Advocacy Center in Atlanta, 乔治亚州. The organization offers support services to help prevent and overcome homelessness.
King worked directly with people experiencing homelessness, 做入院文书工作, 评估他们的需求, helping people secure necessary identifying documents, 写推荐信, filing mail and creating a new document storage system.
“I learned how I can be an advocate for people with limited access to resources,金说. “例如, most states require an ID to obtain a birth certificate, which meant we had to get creative because 90 percent of people needed their birth certificate to get their state ID! I would send people to register to vote, help them sign up for SNAP benefits, help them obtain medical records, 等. – all things that would count as proof of identity.”
Living on her own in a big city while adhering to a budget of $1,000 over eight weeks was King’s most memorable SHECP experience. “Budgeting is the kind of thing that you learn about, but you can't really test your knowledge until you are actually doing it,金说. “The best way to sum up that experience is ‘trial and error.’”
King is majoring in political science.
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Jade Gourley of Evansville, 印第安纳州, interned with Hopeworks in Camden, New Jersey. Hopeworks is a nonprofit organization that helps low-income young adults find and prepare for careers. Gourley’s role was to help analyze data for Hopeworks’ partnership with Coursera, a provider of online courses, certifications and degrees.
“This internship taught me the value of certification programs, especially for people that don't have college as an option for them currently,Gourley说. “Also, I learned how much amazing history is in Philadelphia, right across the river from Camden.”
Gourley is majoring in accounting.
SHECP prepares students for a lifetime of community and poverty-related work through internships with agencies that support and serve those who are impoverished.