Internship!

Katie D.

September 23, 2009 - 7:00 PM

This academic year I will be doing an internship with the Inside-Out Program and the Clark Honors College. I have been working toward this internship for weeks now, and I got the confirmation yesterday: I will be working with the Assistant National Director of the Inside-Out Program on research and development, as well as working with the Honors College at recruiting and expanding the existing program.

I am so, so excited.

Ever since I first heard about the Inside-Out Program (please see other blogs) during my freshman year, I have loved the idea of taking college students outside of their normal contexts, and bringing them inside a prison setting for classes. It is an idea that transformed my life and my conceptions about who my peers are and about what my goals and dreams include. Two Inside-Out Classes, a training program, and a thesis plan later, here I am with a chance to really influence the potential for the program in the coming years.

The Honors College has been incredibly devoted to this program from the beginning. As you can imagine, it takes a certain degree of bravery to agree to sponsor a class of this variety, but the Honors College was excited about it from the very beginning. Our Dean, David Frank, sees the Inside-Out Program as an excellent example of the power of liberal arts and innovation in education: that Honors College students can step out of their usual contexts to discuss literature with prison inmates, and report back that their experiences have transformed their way of thinking.

The Honors College is extending its commitment to the program by funding my internship with Melissa Crabbe, and by creating a leadership position for me within the Honors College, where I will act as an advocate and liaison for the program, recruiting new professors and students, as well as building the network of Inside-Out alumni.

Here are the basic plans for my year as an intern:

-Help plan and host a meeting for the Northwest Inside-Out Instructors this spring, which will include network building, recruitment, training refreshers, student panels, and hopefully a step toward creating a training center here in the Northwest, including a Think Tank of inmates at the Oregon State Penitentiary who would help direct the regional center.

-Expand course offerings into new academic disciplines. Most Inside-Out courses are currently offered in sociology and criminal justice, but the program would benefit from a more varied course offering. This would also allow Inside students to be working toward a degree, so I will be researching general education requirements in the hopes that some subjects could be targeted.

-Help the Honors College expand course offerings to three Inside-Out classes each year, beginning in the 2010-2011 academic year. These would hopefully be offered in three different disciplines.

-Work on evaluations for the Inside-Out Program, focusing on the impacts the program has had on participating universities and correctional facilities.

-Involve past participants in an alumni network, events, and fund raising.

-Publish student work. We hope to offer Inside students the option of publishing creative pieces in the Clark Honors College Creative Arts Journal in the coming year. Additionally, however, we will be working toward a publication specifically for the Inside-Out Program, that would include writing from both Inside and Outside students, focusing on their experiences in the Program and the research and writing they have done in that context.

Could this possibly get any better?

I will be supporting to organizations which have been the most influential in my college experience: the Honors College and the Inside-Out Program. I will be working with amazing and dedicated people, and improving the chances of other students to experience this program. If the publication project happens, then I will have the opportunity to help my classmates publish their writing, as well as having the experience of editing and producing a publication!

This internship will probably involve roughly 15 hours per week. I imagine that certain times of the year will be absolutely frantic with programing and planning. But I am incredibly honored and excited to be working on this project. It is the dream job for me: combining some of my greatest passions and favorite organizations in a way that will benefit everyone.

Wish me luck, friends. And believe me, I'll be keeping you posted!