Muhlenberg athletes are spending the summer of 2023 enjoying fantastic experiences on campus, in their hometowns, across the country, and even around the world.
Rising junior field hockey player Grace Leard, a double major in psychology and sociology, spent her summer interning with SELF!, a local women-led nonprofit that helps women who have had traumatic experiences reenter society.
This summer, I have had the opportunity to intern with
SELF! Lehigh Valley Women's Reentry through the
Office of Community Engagement's Community Internship Program. SELF! is a woman-led, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on healing and empowering reentering women in the Lehigh Valley. Inclusive and welcoming, they work to help all women flourish, no matter the circumstance.
SELF! believes in building community, breaking barriers and empowering women. They coach reentering women in achieving and maintaining a safe and productive lifestyle, empowering them to contribute to their communities and flourish as they continue to become their true SELF! In addition, they provide services such as transitional housing, job readiness and mentorship to help women "Strongly Embrace Life's Future." SELF! looks to fill the gaps seen in transitional support services in Lehigh and Northampton counties that particularly affect women.
Allentown lacks some of these necessary transitional supports for women, which unfortunately leaves many without the assistance they need in learning to cope with the traumatic experiences of their pasts and finding second-chance employers and housing. Just this past May, SELF! was able to purchase the SELF! house, which provides housing for women on their reentry journeys, whether that be from incarceration, homelessness or domestic violence.
As an intern at SELF!, I have had the opportunity to work in the SELF! house daily, building relationships with the women who live there, and attending workshops alongside them. I also have gotten to connect with the other local nonprofits with whom SELF! works and local law enforcement officers. I have been able to cultivate many skills, including grant writing, which is vital for the funding of small nonprofit organizations. Grants we have written this summer have gone to major organizations and state representatives to hopefully help provide SELF! with the funding necessary to keep doing this vital work.
Another major focus this summer has been increasing community outreach through attending local events, and starting a monthly email to update people about the work SELF! is doing, as well as helping coordinate community events such as "Let's Talk Pardons." This event, free for the public, allowed individuals to learn about the Pennsylvania pardon process, meet with pro-bono attorneys and be connected to resources, such as the Pardon Project of Lehigh County, that can help them apply for a pardon.
For me, the most meaningful part of my internship experience thus far has by far been the relational component. While criminal justice reform has long been a passion of mine, it has been incredible to work in such a hands-on environment, seeing both the triumphs and struggles of this work on a daily basis. I have gotten to connect with women who are still incarcerated, building relationships and hearing about their experiences, as well as becoming a trained pardon coach through the Pardon Project of Lehigh County, helping individuals deem their eligibility and subsequently apply for a pardon in the state. In addition, I have gotten to table numerous community events with SELF!, doing outreach to help the community hear about our services.
These types of experiences are all by nature relational; you get to hear the lived experiences of people who have been in the system themselves and see the great need for not only this kind of assistance programming but larger criminal justice reforms.
Muhlenberg has played a huge role in not only making this experience possible, but also helping prepare me to do this kind of work. The Office of Community Engagement has been present every step of the way this summer, ensuring all of the interns placed at community sites have the support they need. In addition, as a psychology and sociology major, my coursework has been crucial for me in cultivating this interest and has always operated by taking the lived experiences of those affected as the most critical, something that has definitely helped me in my transition to the work at SELF!. My advisors and professors have always encouraged me to take my interdisciplinary interests and pursue them, which really prompted me to apply for this position. I am incredibly grateful for their continual encouragement and support in finding ways to explore my interests.
My biggest takeaway this summer has been that in whatever work you do, you must always put the people you are working with first and not get lost in the statistics or numbers surrounding it all. While this has always been a goal of mine, my experiences at SELF! have proven it to be vital. All too often, the experiences of incarcerated individuals or reentrant's experiences go unheard, which leaves people feeling hopeless and alone.
By simply taking the time to hear someone's story, listen to their needs and try your best to help them, even if that is by referring them to another resource, you can help be a small part in rehumanizing this group and making sure all people know they are valued and seen. We are all people with dreams, desires and aspirations, and getting to work alongside an organization that sees that in all people and refuses to define individuals by past mistakes has truly been incredible. It has been formative in helping me discover what career pathways would be best suited for me in the future and understanding the importance of working for a cause that I am passionate about.
Doing something interesting or unusual this summer or know of a Muhlenberg student-athlete who is? Fill out this form to be included in our Summer Check-In series!
