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Capital Semester Internship

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What do I have to gain from the Capital Semester Internship? That question can be answered by displaying what I can contribute as a participant in the Capital Semester Internship. As a senior and a Psychology and African American Studies major at Virginia Commonwealth University, a student worker, and an avid volunteer, I make a strong candidate for the Capital Semester Internship. My research interests which are a combination of psychology and social justice, my career goals that will utilize psychology to influence public policy, and my willingness to learn more about government on a local, state, and national level will help to enrich my experience in Virginia’s legislative branch of government this upcoming semester. The last few years …show more content…

Perpetuation of issues such as these in the law can be changed with research and the implementation of new policies that serve to address the underlying causes of these issues, which is racial inequality and the continued oppression of people of color in the United States. I plan to research the psychology of oppression and its effects on government and society in graduate school, and work to combat these effects as a clinical psychologist and community change agent. The overall structure of oppression, which has made itself known as I investigate the root causes of more common social issues such as mass incarceration and food deserts, is created and perpetuated through government and public policy, regardless of the emergence of national social awareness of issues such as inequality, economic disparity, and social injustice. I believe that inequality can be changed one step-or one policy-at a time, and I plan to help with this as I examine the different forms of oppression on people of color at both a national and international level and work to lessen its force. Through non-government organizations such as the Marshall Project or the American Civil Liberties Union, I wish to add my knowledge of social science to the ongoing effort for equal civil rights for all citizens. My research interests signal an eventual intersection with public policy reform. I would like to gain the experience of such reform so that when the time comes, I can activate change in my community, state, and country without

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