‘I Want to Gain Experience and Learn What it is Like to Do Reentry Work’

I am currently interning at EMERGE Connecticut Inc., which is based in New Haven. I chose this particular internship because they focus on assisting formerly incarcerated individuals with successfully integrating back into their families and communities. They also do counseling, coaching, and other programming sessions on Thursdays and Fridays to further ensure the success of these individuals.

Growing up, I experienced the over-policing and oversurveillance in my community. This has resulted in me witnessing arrests of my own community members. Although I have always had a passion for public service, I felt like reentry work was my calling.

I picked this particular internship site because I felt like it provided much more than just finding these individuals employment. The program aims to mold people into successful citizens who can use the fundamental principles they have learned and apply it to their lives. This internship fits with my academic studies and career goals because I plan on going into criminal justice reform work. This internship provides firsthand experience on how a program can transform someone’s life and help them become successful.

‘This will help me when I start my career’

My expectation for this internship is to make connections with the staff and crewmembers in order to understand the dynamics of this type of work. Also, I expect to learn how to communicate more effectively with a diverse group of people. This is important in enriching my career because I will be able to have connections with the staff who can give me advice on how to further my career.

I also expect to help crewmembers one-on-one. My supervisor recently told me I can host a workshop for a few crewmembers who need help with their resume. Even if it’s one life, I could possibly have a positive impact on their future.

I hope to learn a lot of patience from this internship. This job does take time and teaches you that the best kind of work requires a lot of time. I also hope to learn more about the crewmembers’ experiences and how it negatively impacted their lives. I think this will help me when I start my career because I will have first-hand knowledge.

Overall, from this internship I want to gain experience and learn what it is like to do reentry work. This will help me understand the importance of this work and how it contributes to criminal justice reform.

Jocelyn Pineda ’24 is a criminal justice major at the University of New Haven who is completing an internship at EMERGE Connecticut, Inc., a nonprofit organization in New Haven.