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Profile
of Stephanie Meyer, Intern, Pitt's Office of Child Development,
12/04
I’m a senior Psychology major with a French minor and certificates
in Global Studies and Public and Professional Writing. In Psychology,
I have a particular interest in developmental psychology and its
relationship to early care and education. The PPW program attracted
my attention for several reasons: it was flexible enough that I
could gear it toward what I wanted – public policy and advocacy;
the writing courses were practical and related to skills I wanted
to present to potential employers; and I could pursue meaningful
internships where I would do far more than just making copies and
coffee.
My internship is with the Policy Initiatives division at the University
of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development (OCD). I was encouraged
to look at the OCD by one of my professors, Dr. Mark Strauss; he
began the Office at Pitt years ago, prior to returning to his research
career. I was immediately interested in the OCD because it really
focuses on research and education. It encourages the collection
of pertinent information, teaching others, the development of a
life-long interest in advocacy, and taking action to influence legislators
and other authorities in power to make changes that will benefit
children and families positively and practically.
At my internship I have been able to integrate skills I have learned
from my PPW, psychology, and policy courses. I have written reports
and created Powerpoint presentations that will be used in lectures
covering modern issues in child development and psychology. My presentations
focused on the importance of investing in early care and education,
training others to know who holds the key to change, and writing
persuasively to convince others to adopt your point of view in a
way that will benefit families and children in Allegheny County.
My current project is to gather content for United for Children’s
website. United for Children is a multi-organizational effort to
integrate resources within the county; their goal is to promote
cooperation, shared resources, and maintenance of a cohesive network
within which parents and providers can work together. Through my
work, I have learned about the laws and organizations involved in
the state legislature that relate to early care and education; this
will be a big help to me with my advocacy efforts in the future.
I enjoy working in an environment that I hope to be a part of after
I graduate. I appreciate how my associates at my internship site
carefully guide me, while also allowing me a lot of creative freedom
in my projects.
I absolutely think those considering the PPW program should take
a course or two to feel it out, or meet with the directors to see
if they think it will be a good fit. From my point of view, the
program makes sense for pretty much everyone. Communication and
writing are invaluable skills in life and in the workplace, and
my PPW courses have allowed me to develop my skills as a writer
and assemble a portfolio of work that will look great to potential
employers.
Join the program and obtain an internship; it will only be an advantage.
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