Shepherd Student: Melissa Poorman
Name: Melissa Poorman
Hometown: Georgetown, SC
Major: Politics, with programs in African American Studies and the Shepherd Poverty Program
Where you interned: Richmond, VA at Refugee and Immigration Services
Capstone Topic: Assessing the Crisis of Black Males in Secondary Education
Community Service/Involvement: Nabors Service League Adolescent Chair, volunteer at Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Center
Reflection:
My time in the Shepherd Poverty Program has turned out to be such an amazing experience! The things we learned in class were truly brought to focus once I went on my internship. With RIS, I not only learned about issues facing vulnerable immigrant and refugee populations, but I also learned a lot about myself. I learned how I would act under pressure and how to cope with intense issues and emotions from my clients on a daily basis. On top of having a great experience in my internship, my roommate during that summer is now one of my closest friends. She was a student at Spelman College who also did a Shepherd internship in Richmond. We became such good friends that we are going to be roommates in Philadelphia after graduation!
The classes have been challenging at times, and the internship was surely not a walk in the park, but I am confident in saying that the Shepherd Poverty Program has afforded me a wealth of knowledge and experience that I am likely to continue to draw on as I enter my career as a Teach For America Corps Member. |
