By Ezinma Okusogu, Justice and Legal Thought
Each week, I would work to collaborate with different departments and organizations on campus and within the greater community in order to put together a College Night that gave some element of insight into college life, or that aimed to help the youth work towards their own educational, personal, or professional goals.
For my capstone internship, I served as UMD’s College Night Intern for The Choice Program. The Choice Program is a non-profit organization based in Baltimore that provides services to youth and their families with the goal of empowering them and building stronger communities in order to keep young people from becoming and remaining entangled in the juvenile justice system. One of the programs that The Choice Program utilizes to advance its mission is College Night, which takes place on several college campuses in Maryland, including the University of Maryland, College Park. As UMD’s College Night Intern, I was in charge of coordinating all communication between the College Night Director and my Supervisor and the team of six volunteers that I was responsible for. Each week, I would work to collaborate with different departments and organizations on campus and within the greater community in order to put together a College Night that gave some element of insight into college life, or that aimed to help the youth work towards their own educational, personal, or professional goals. Some of the activities that we participated in were a Student Entrepreneurship Panel, a Black History Month Presentation, and an Origami Workshop with UMD’s Origami Club. In addition to working with the other volunteers, I would also work with 2-4 AmeriCorps members that worked with The Choice Program on a weekly basis. By assisting in coordinating this program, I was able to support this organization’s mission in building stronger communities ties for the youth that allow them to develop their strengths in productive and safe spaces.
Ezinma, your work with The Choice Program stood out to me because I appreciate the emphasis that there is on education. I feel like it's programs like these that can really be beneficial to our youth considering they're not only being mentored and their minds enriched, but they're also being sheltered from juvenile delinquency. I also think it's an amazing thing how The Choice exposes teens to colleges and what college entails. Did you notice a peak in interest amongst the kids you worked with regarding college following College Night?
Hi Ezinma! I really enjoyed reading about your experience with The Choice Program. It’s great that you were able to positively impact the lives of community youth. During your time with The Choice Program, what was your favorite activity and what activity did your mentees enjoy the most?
This program seems really interesting to me because I'm so interested in juvenile justice and prevention through service. I didn't know this program existed, but I definitely want to do more research into it possibly for my capstone project! What was your biggest takeaway from serving in this role?
This program seems really interesting to me because I'm so interested in juvenile justice and prevention through service. I didn't know this program existed, but I definitely want to do more research into it possibly for my capstone project! What was your biggest takeaway from serving in this role?
Hi Ezinma! Your project really stood out to me, since I feel like programs like The Choice Program at UMBC are truly valuable to students who need more guidance. I thought it was really great that the program also focused on the community since I haven't seen that emphasized in the work of other programs like The Choice. How do you feel this internship has prepared you for your future career?