Helping Women and Girls Access Higher Education

I am a rising senior studying political science and international development. I am a Newcomb Scholar and particularly interested in the intersection of policy and human rights. This summer I am an intern for Operation Restoration, a New Orleans non-profit dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated women access paths to higher education. I have been interested in criminal justice reform for a long time, and just finished up another internship at the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court working with a grant writer on alternative to detention programs for juveniles.

I am excited to work with this organization because right now they are really involved in passing state legislation to open up educational opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, beginning with House Bill 122 which passed the education committee yesterday. This bill will end the discrimination that formerly incarcerated people face when applying to institutions of higher education by removing questions about criminal history on initial applications. We are also working to create spaces where women can access resources like work clothes, computer classes, help with applications, etc.

My own goals for this summer while working with Operation Restoration are:

  • Learn about the day-to-day operation of a non-profit. Operation Restoration is still in its beginning stages so I will also see how non-profits develop and be a big part of that process.
  • I want to learn from the women that we work with about the barriers that they face and work hard to start to come up with strategies to face these barriers, whether it is changes in legislation, access to resources or anything else.
  • Work on my grant writing skills to secure more money for the organization.
  • Operation Restoration lacks a physical office space so I want to learn how to work in various settings, and see where I can do my best work with other people.
  • Do on the ground work with marginalized populations to help create lasting and sustainable change.

Newcomb’s mission is to educate women for leadership in the 21st century. I think that something that really makes a great woman leader is the ability to bring other women along towards progress and this is something that this internship will really allow me to do. It’s mission is to help women achieve their dreams of education through resource access, changes in legislation, and work with partner organizations. It also works to achieve equality for women in higher education access, which I think fits within Newcomb’s mission well.

I am excited to start working full-time with Operation Restoration and learn about the injustices that formerly incarcerated people face as well as begin to come up with solutions to end discrimination in higher education.

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