PROJECTS
During my collegiate years, I had the opportunity to lead or be involve in several different projects. Below will highlight the types of projects I have completed with each area I have been involved in.
Victim Services Internship (Spring 2019)
Internship: Sexual Assault Awareness Month Event
During my internship the Victim Services department was asked to speak at a sexual assault awareness event at Vol State the local community college. It was held in April which is sexual assault awareness month. The event was held in order to shed light on the occurrences of sexual assault and to provide resources for victims. My part in this even was to research recent statistics and information on sexual assault for the speaking representative of our department. Additionally, I attended the event as an intern to answer questions people may have about our program and the internship itself.
Internship: Court Room Procedures
In the Victim Service field it is important to keep victims informed of their rights. One right a victim has is to be informed every step of the way through the judicial processes of the offender; whether that be, court appearances, sentencing, release, bond conditions, etc.. For some cases that required us to be presence at the hearing or trail to gather all information to relay back to victim, so that they were informed. Not only does this give them knowledge of the situation if they cannot be present, it also helps the victim address safety planning concerns for the future.
Internship: NOVA Certification/ NACP Credentialing
As an Intern it was important for us to complete all the training to become credentialed by the NACP (National Advocate Credentialing Program). This was a crucial part of the internship in order to gain a better understanding of topics relevant to providing services to a variety of different victims. Additionally, the credentialing developed an understanding of the professionalization of the advocacy field as well as ethical concerns in providing victim services. Over the course of my internship I completed the required 40 hours of training required to apply for the Provisional Advocate Credential.
Internship: Grant Tracking
The Victim Services unit I was apart of works under the VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) Grant. As a apart of this grant we are required to track the types of services we provide and the types of victims we provide to. This helps to ensure that we are providing beneficial services and are reaching a broad demographic of victims. This tracking process is taken in the form of quarterly reports that quantitatively analyzes over 50 key variables.
Internship: Citizens Academy
As a part of my internship I was honored to be nominated to participate in the Cookeville Police Department's Citizens Academy. During the Citizen's Academy I was given the opportunity to receive special training in the tasks of police officers, gain knowledge in the understanding of officer commands, S.W.A.T. deployment, and negotiation training. I was also able to participate in ride along's, and use of force drills.
Tennessee Technological University (as a Student)
Research Presentation: Southern Sociological Society Conference
In April of 2018, I was honored to be able to attend the annual Southern Sociological Society Conference in New Orleans, LA to present my research on the trials of the graduate school admission system. My research compiled a database of 409 Sociology and Social Work graduate programs from 247 schools in 29 states, analyzing the treads in graduate school admissions requirements. My research was able to determine that a personal statement was a more accurate and accepted admissions standard that the GRE. Additionally, my research as been made available to the Tennessee Technological University College of Arts and Sciences advising department to help students chose and prepare for graduate school.
Research Presentation: Field Research (Ethnographic Study)
During the Spring of 2018, I conducted a study using the ethnographic styles of observations and interviews on the motivation factors for students joining academic organizations. This study allowed for the students to speak for themselves on what were the most important factors. My research found that not only was the involvement good for career advancement but it gave students a since of accomplishment and a feeling or being apart of something bigger than themselves.
Teaching Assistant: Cross Communications and Cultural Diversity
During the Spring of 2017, I was offered a student teaching assistant position for the course Cross Communications and Cultural Diversity. As a part of the course I helped train and oversee students in becoming cultural liaisons for the Windows on the World festival (a local festival drawing in over 10,000 visitors every year to learn about cultures all over the world). Additionally, I assisted in engaging students in a verity of critical thinking lessons, each focused on teaching a different aspect of diversity through real world application.
Poetry Publication: Simply Young
White, Isn't a Right (We haven't changed), is a spoken word poem about the never ending struggle of racism in American society today and the challenges it presents for everyday life. The poem was published in the Simply Young poetry book of the fall of 2016. Simply Young was a selection of student poets gathered from the Treehouse Poets of Tennessee Technological University.
Diversity Forum: Cross Communications and Cultural Diversity (Student)
In the spring of 2016, I work with a group of students as a side project of our class, to present a forum and panel discussion on the effects of racism in our community and our county. To get the forum ready we worked on marketing the event, gathering a panel of individuals from different racial backgrounds and countries. One of my parts in the event was to comprise a fact sheet listing hate crime statistics in in our community, in our state, and in our country. The fact sheet work as a visual to illustrate the problem of racism as it pertains to the world around it.
Cultural Liaisons: Cross Communications and Cultural Diversity (Student)
As a portion of my class in the Spring of 2016, I worked as cultural liaison for the country of Finland. I worked with a Finish student, and faculty member of the university to represent the country of Finland in the local Windows on the World Festival (W.O.W) during this event we out reached to over 10,000 visitors to educate them on the culture of Finland.
CASA Fundraiser: Victimology
In the fall of 2016, I worked with a group of students to provide awareness of victimized population. We chose to represent children. During this event we passed out information about the CASA program, additionally during this event we also held a bake sale and raised $222.00 for the Putnam county chapter of CASA.
Research Presentation: Poster
In my freshman intro to sociology class I was given the opportunity to conduct a research on struggling populations. I partnered with the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to use a service learning approach to study the local housing issues. Afterwards, I was able to display what I learned in a research poster in the department of Sociology and Political Science of Tennessee Technological University.
Club Involvement
Domestic Violence Awareness: Sociology Criminal Justice Club
During October of 2018 (Domestic Violence Awareness Month), I worked as the president of the TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club to partner with the Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center and the TTU Counseling Center to organize a domestic violence awareness event. During the event we asked individuals to share words of encouragement or their own stories with domestic violence with victims that visit the Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center. The project involved individuals writing on strips or paper that were then linked together as a chain, forming a visual representation of being a link in the chain to ending domestic violence. Additionally, during the event we handed out information for the Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center and the TTU Counseling Center.
Riverbend Prison Tour: TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club
During the Fall of 2018, I worked as the president of the TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club to organize a field trip to the Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Nashville, Tennessee. The facility housing the individuals senescence to death row in the state of Tennessee. The trip allowed students to interact, and talk with inmates and corrections officers. Letting students experience what is like living and working in this form of the criminal justice system.
Event Coordinator International Day of Peace Project: TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club
During the Fall of 2018, I worked president of the TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club to organize an event for the international day of peace. The event was a sub project of the Peace Dragon, who's mission is to spread a world of peace and love rather than messages of hate. During the event, we set up with buckets of chalk around the quad of Tennessee Technological University, for students to engage in a action of peace by drawing what peace means to them on the sidewalks of the University.
Event Coordinator 13th Documentary Viewing and Panel Discussion: TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club
During the Fall of 2017, I worked as the president of the TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club to coordinate an event in the largest auditorium on the TTU campus to screen the Nexflix special The 13th Documentary, a film that address the issue of prison overcrowding and the flaws of the criminal justice system. After the screening we hosted a panel style discussion with prison researchers, public defenders from the state capital, professors from a verity of universities, and former inmates. Additionally, with my coordinating responsibilities I marketed the event around the community, and on social media, I mediated the discussion, and I designed promotional bracelets and buttons with the phrase "we are all human" printed on them in support of the message of the film.
Event Coordinator R.J. Mitte Talk: TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club
During the Fall of 2017, I worked as the president of the TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club to coordinate an event in the largest auditorium on the TTU campus to host a diversity talk, Q&A, and meet in greet with R.J. Mitte. R.J. Mitte was a co-star on the hit TV series Breaking Bad. Mitte's like his charter on the show has cerebral palsy, Mitte uses his fame as platform to speak about the disease as well as diversity in general, encouraging individuals to follow their passions and dreams. This event became one of the largest events brought to the Tennessee Technological University in a number of years, bring well over 200 people to the university. The event was marketed all over the community, surrounding cities, and social media.
Move Out Day Donation Stand: TTU Sociology Criminal Justice Club
The Move out day donation stand was a project I worked on with the Sociology Criminal Justice Club. During this event we set up for the "move out week" of Tennessee Technological University in December of 2017 at each dorm of the University. For each stand we were taking any and all donations of clothing, furniture, unopened food, etc. and donating it to the Cookeville Rescue Mission. This event worked particuarly well since students are forced to move out of their dorms over the break and do not want to take a lot of things back with them. This was a great way to help those in need and help the students clean out their dorm rooms.
Volunteer Involvement
Co-Founder: Seeds for Survivors
Seeds for Survivors was a community wide campaign I helped start in the fall of 2014, after being impacted by the stories of the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. We set out to collect "food" seed packets, and gardening tools so the survivors could begin growing their own food again. Since, growing season was ending in the U.S. it was perfect timing to send left over seeds since it is growing season year round in the Philippines. We ended up collecting over 1,600 seed packets, and over 100 gardening tools.