Liberal Arts Major(s): Economics
Other Major: Community, Environment and Development
Minor: Music Performance
Hometown: State College, Pennsylvania
Experience Time: Summer 2021
Give us a brief summary of your experience?
My internship was with Penn State Extension, where I partnered with an organization in Philadelphia named Norris Square Community Alliance (NSCA). This organization offers assistance to members of the neighborhood. Norris Square is a poor neighborhood in Philadelphia that is currently facing a lot of challenges due to gentrification and lack of support from the city. In my position, I assisted NSCA with their youth program and community outreach initiatives. I also worked on a project to help the organization better understand what businesses are in the neighborhood and what assistance they need.
How did this experience impact you academically?
In both of my majors at Penn State, I have learned about poverty and development issues. Through this internship, I got to see these issues first-hand while having my educational background to remind me of why many things are the way they are. The internship has also sparked my interest in learning about these topics as I wrap up my senior year at PSU.
This experience will be beneficial to me as I look to build relationships with people from around the world.
How will this experience impact your career goals?
This was my first hands-on experience with community development work. This experience taught me to work with all types of people and to be very kind and accepting of different cultures. In the future, I hope to do work with communities who struggle. This experience will be beneficial to me as I look to build relationships with people from around the world.
How has the College of the Liberal Arts helped you to find and/or succeed in this experience (e.g., adviser, faculty, staff, enrichment funds, etc.)?
The enrichment funds helped me with the extra costs that were associated with living in the city for a summer. I am so grateful to Penn State for this assistance.