Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

Lessons Learned from My Summer Internship

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As a college student you always hear your peers, parents, professors, and advisers talk about getting experience in the career field of a possible future job. This experience could be in the form of an internship, a research project, or a studying abroad program. Before I started school I knew I wanted to participate in several internships, but I didn’t really know how or where to get started. When I got to school I started talking to my professors and advisers, asking their advice about finding appropriate internships and the proper ways to connect with internship sites.

I started networking and talking to different workers of agencies, like police departments and federal agencies. My first real internship dealing with my Crime, Law & Justice major was with the PG Police Department last summer. I think doing an internship really helps you focus on a potential career path. It opened my eyes to goals that I should set for myself, whether or not I decide to go into policing. Also, I have been told numerous times that an internship experience looks good on your resume when you go to apply for jobs after graduation. From my own personal experience, I can say that this is quite true. When I went to my interview for the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute, the interviewers were impressed with my previous internship experiences.

As a Crime, Law & Justice student, I think the most important things to accomplish before you graduate are: completing an internship, networking with agencies, making a list of short and long-term goals, and enjoying your college life. My college experience at Penn State has been positively shaped by each of these goals. I knew going into my internship that I would learn a great deal about careers in the police force. But I was also able to learn valuable life lessons. Indeed, the most important lesson I took away from my internship was if you treat everyone with respect, they will treat you with respect in return. I can honestly say that participating in an internship really helps better yourself professionally and personally. This year, I will leave my summer internship with a greater understanding of my career aspirations, and with a new family.

When you consider doing an internship as an undergraduate, you should talk to your adviser, network with the agency you want to intern with, do some background research, and just prepare yourself mentally. Completing an internship will open your eyes to so many things and may even lead you to change your mind about a possible future career.

Police Work: Back in Palmer Park

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Ever since I was little I wanted to be a forensic scientist or homicide detective. I was always somewhere “dissecting” bugs or trying to solve some mystery. As I got older, I began networking with different police officers and one gave me information about interning with the Prince Georges County Police Dpt., Criminal Investigations Division in Palmer Park, MD (headquarters). The very moment I got that information, I jumped at the chance to have an experience that would open my eyes to many things.

Before I get into any further details about my internship, let me first introduce myself. My name is Tierra Briscoe. This upcoming Fall I will be a senior at The Pennsylvania State University majoring in Crime, Law, and Justice (Pre-Forensics) with a minor in Sociology. I am from PG County, MD, where I live with my mother and little brother, who will be a freshman in college this fall. As the older sibling I try my best to set an example for my little brother to show him that all it takes is motivation to get where you want to go in life.

After I graduate, my goal is to either go into federal policing such as US Marshals or start out as a patrol officer for the county police and work my way up. Either way, I will be doing something I love and have a passion for.

I interned with the PGCPD last summer also, it was my first time but I enjoyed it soo much! After I got the information from an officer I met during an outing with my friends, he gave me the number to the internship coordinator here at the headquarters. I had to keep in touch with the coordinator constantly so she wouldn’t forget who I was and to make sure I got a spot because there are a lot of students who apply for these internships. I finally got an interview and nailed it. I basically got the internship the same day and was placed in the Homicide/Cold Case Unit.

My first summer here was filled with going to multiple death scenes, where I helped…yes “helped” move the bodies into the body bags. The only one I didn’t touch was the man that was decomposed. If you thought you’ve smelled the worst thing ever, you have never smelled a decomposing body. I was never nervous to do these tasks or go out on rides because I wanted to show I was dedicated and willing to get down and dirty. But, there were still a lot of things I wanted to accomplish last summer that I didn’t get to.

I think the fact that I was willing to do so much work and step up to the plate when they expected me to fold and get scared, made them want to ask me to come back another summer – which is where we are now, a new summer. I feel as though this says a lot about me. My internship isn’t paid but the hands-on experience I am getting is paying me in a whole different way.

I am looking forward to giving more insight about my internship experience through my eyes. Feel free to contact me if there are any questions or comments about my internship with the Police Department.

Biking Through the Netherlands

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Before heading overseas to the Netherlands this summer, I was extremely nervous because I had never done anything like this before. My fears grew when I learned that while in the Netherlands, we would be biking to and from class three days a week. As embarrassing as this is to admit, I had never learned to ride a bike growing up. So I immediately became fearful of this aspect of the trip and strongly considered pulling out. But I practiced a few times before going on the trip, and I thought how hard could it be? Once arriving in the Netherlands and spending a whole 10 hours at the airport, I was extremely drained. Then we arrive to the hotel, and everyone wanted to bike to go get some dinner. (Check out the Hotel!) So I looked at my bike, and may I add that I’m only 5’3, and this bike was the size of someone who is 6’0. I immediately start to freak out, because I can’t even hop on my bike, let alone ride it. But thankfully, I had some really nice people in my group who would help me on my bike, when I would fall off – which was a lot.

Riding the bikes back and forth from class turned out to be one of the most memorable parts of the trip. The scenery was amazing, beautiful lakes, cute little houses, and even some goats, were just a few of the things we saw along the way.The college we attended class at was really nice, although, we felt a little under-dressed while in class compared to the Dutch students. We had some student teachers who were also Dutch, which was really nice. They showed us around the town we stayed in which was called Den Bosch. Once a week we would go on a field trip, which included many interesting places such as The Peace Palace, Red Light District, a Rehabilitation Center, and a Center for Troubled Youth. At the Troubled Youth Center we got to play a game of soccer against some of the boys. It was so embarrassing because these kids were about 9 to 13 year old and they kicked our butts. They eventually had to go easy on use, because we were struggling. Another interesting spot we visited was the Red Light District. We were able to talk to one of the heads of the business and learn more about the windows and the girls involved in prostitution. You found out that the environment they work in is extremely clean and that everyone is respectful and treats everyone well, which was a surprise to me because going into visiting this area I had an assumption that it was a dirty environment and that the girls were treated like objects.

During the class periods, we heard from guest speakers who were from all over the world. One speaker talked about the Colombian drug trade, which was awesome, and one speaker talked about the gang life in the Netherlands, which is almost non-existent. Another extremely interesting fact we learned about the Netherlands through a guest speaker is that the murder rate is extremely low, which is shocking to most considering their liberal laws.

During the weekends we went to Amsterdam and Valencia, Spain. Getting some time to travel was one of the best parts, because we were truly on our own to explore other parts of the country; it is really freeing. Overall this class was extremely interesting, one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken in my life and you get four days to travel each week, who could ask for more? If you are a Crime, Law, and Justice major and are looking to go abroad then this class is for you! Check out the program on the Global Programs website. Although it is short, only four weeks, it gives you a great balance of learning and traveling. I accomplished so many things through this trip and learned so much about myself, it will truly be an experience I will never forget.

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