After graduating from College of Charleston Summa Cum Laude, Emily was a Teacher’s Assistant for the Psychology Department’s Cambodia and Vietnam study abroad, which she had attended as a student in 2015. Once that program ended, Emily spent six months solo backpacking around Southeast Asia to six additional countries: India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, and Laos. Emily says, “This was the best six months of my life in terms of personal development. I experienced a lot of culture shock coming home but I quickly began to job search.” Emily began working as the Volunteer Coordinator for Charleston YOUth Count, a research project conducted through the Riley Center for Liveable and Sustainable Communities that attempted to count and provide resources for housing and food insecure youth in Charleston County. After the end of this project, Emily began working as a Community Specialist for the Department of Juvenile Justice. She says, “Essentially, I acted as a juvenile probation officer, enforcing court orders for juveniles who had broken the law and desperately attempting to help get them the services that they need to turn their lives around. This job was trying- Charleston is one of the most difficult counties to do this kind of work. Kids in Charleston, growing up in rough neighborhoods, experiencing trauma and neglect are somehow expected to fit the social norm in terms of development and it just didn’t work out that way. I felt as though most of the interventions provided were ineffective for the scale of youth we were dealing with and I felt like maybe I was on the wrong side as the enforcer, I wanted to assist, not criminalize.” Emily recently moved over to the Young Offender Parole and Reentry Services division of the SC Department of Corrections, where she is an intensive supervision officer. She meets with young offenders while they are in prison to work on personal growth, conducts assessments with them to determine needs, and set up services upon their release based on those needs. Once released, a rapport has already been developed and she meets with young offenders weekly out in the community to make sure they are receiving their services, staying out of trouble, and receiving the support they need to be successful. Emily says, “At some point, I hope to attend graduate school for restorative justice as I believe there is no individual past the point of redemption, rehabilitation and reintegration. Our criminal justice system is in desperate need of reform and I am impassioned to be someone contributing to that movement.”
While a student at CofC, Emily worked as a Desk Assistant at Craig Residence Hall, a peer facilitator, a peer academic coach, and a member of the Cougar Counseling Team. She was also a member of the Honor Board and worked her way up to Deputy Chair and then Chair.
As part of her study abroad in Cambodia and Vietnam, she conducted an independent study with Dr. Jen Wright on a cultural disorder called “Baksbat” (translates to broken courage), and later she worked as part of Dr. Wright’s research lab defining, measuring and even inducing humility. Emily, along with her colleagues, presented portions of this research at the South Carolina Psychological Association’s 2017 Spring Conference and at the PSYC Department’s Student Award and Research Day. As part of her PSYC397 Internship Course, she worked with WINGS for Kids, an afterschool program aimed at teaching socioemotional learning skills to kids who may have learning problems. Emily also contributed to research at MUSC test interventions to help kids feel safer in school.
Emily says of her experience at CofC, “CofC offered me many opportunities to gain professional and personal experience that I am so incredibly thankful for! But I would like to emphasize more than anything else that College taught me the value of true human connection and the power of authenticity. I definitely worked most closely with Dr. Wright who has been the most influential person I have met in my entire life. She has aided so much in both my personal and professional development and I can’t thank her enough. Additionally, shout out to Garrett Milliken, Patricia Janes, y’all made me fall in love with the science of it and your support meant the world to me! Reba Parker, your I owe your restorative justice course everything I have accomplished since graduating, you opened up my eyes to connect social science and policy and I discovered my passion. Staff mentors should also be mentioned- David Aurich and Bob Kahle, you were some of my biggest supporters and guided me into the professional workforce. Thank you.”