As an undergraduate at Penn State, I had the opportunity to be a teaching assistant, research assistant, and partake in an internship post-graduation. After being a teaching assistant for Crim 430 and Crim 201, I realized that I wanted to pursue a future in corrections or in reentry in some form. Being a teaching assistant for Dr. Kreager’s Prison Inmate Networks Study (PINS) furthered this desire, and interning at SCI Rockview in their Reentry Services allowed me to expand my interests into parole and probation, eventually teaching two classes to inmates in a course myself and a fellow intern developed. Come fall, I will begin my time in Temple University’s PhD program, with a long-term goal of working for the Board of Parole or Probation at a state level. The connections I made with professors at PSU and staff at SCI Rockview were invaluable, and I highly encourage everyone to explore as many options as possible through academic or internship involvement—they may open doors you never even knew existed!

Samantha Phillips
Intern, SCI Rockview and Benner
Re-Entry Services Office