As most of you know I am a Non-Traditional student. If you are wondering what type of student this is, I will explain. A Non-Traditional student is one that is mature in age and has decided to re enter school after working in various jobs where you can not grow to administrative positions due to lack of a Bachelor Degree.
have held several jobs where I worked very hard to get to management or to a leadership position, within that department or organization but I could not become director, district manager or other aimed positions because I did not a degree. So, I decided to return to school and get a degree. At first it was for Human Resources but since they only offered that in Tempe, I opted for Public Policy/Public Service (Criminology) and my two certificates Public Administration and Leadership Ethics, and I am so glad I did.
The main reason why I chose to get my degree at my 40's is because I have two boys a 16 and a 14 that are awesome young men and students. They have goals and aspirations to attend a college and university and I want to be able to help them out financially in order to have them avoid getting into debt. That is the best legacy and inheritance I can ever give them, an education.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Career Service Pre Law information session
This week I attended a pre law information session. It was very interesting to find out about the long process that takes place when applying for law school. It was very surprising to find out that after students have gone through 4 years of university or college expenses, they are still required to pay close to $1000 for applications, programs and tests.
I know that it is worth it for the education and degree you are seeking, and I am glad to know that there are ways to as for financial aid in filing for this process. The adviser that was there was very informative and allowed everyone to ask questions. I always have questions so one of them was the length of time it takes to finish law school and we were told 3 years. I forgot to ask if financial aid was available for graduate students and I believe it is.
She explained the process of taking the LSAT test. A test that everyone has to take and score at least a 160 in order to be accepted to ASU Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law. She explained how the questions are all correct but you must use your analytic skills and choose the best one. They test four times a year and offer classes to get you prepared that cost about $1000. Also and very important, is the fact that if you carry a GPA of 3.7 it would be most likely that you can be accepted easily.
Hope this information was useful for you as it was for me.
I know that it is worth it for the education and degree you are seeking, and I am glad to know that there are ways to as for financial aid in filing for this process. The adviser that was there was very informative and allowed everyone to ask questions. I always have questions so one of them was the length of time it takes to finish law school and we were told 3 years. I forgot to ask if financial aid was available for graduate students and I believe it is.
She explained the process of taking the LSAT test. A test that everyone has to take and score at least a 160 in order to be accepted to ASU Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law. She explained how the questions are all correct but you must use your analytic skills and choose the best one. They test four times a year and offer classes to get you prepared that cost about $1000. Also and very important, is the fact that if you carry a GPA of 3.7 it would be most likely that you can be accepted easily.
Hope this information was useful for you as it was for me.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Justice In The Mind of A Board Member
Interning with the Board of Executive Clemency is exciting, yet challenging. It challenges your way of thinking about fair justice. In one side you can understand victim services point of view, at another the Department of Corrections point of view, and in the end the job of the Board that I work for. I am getting to know the Board more and more each day. I am beginning to see how each individual brings a load of knowledge, experience and comprehensive skill in each and every situation they face.
Dealing with cases day by day can bring a load of stress. Honestly, I do not know how they do this and still maintain a smile at the end of the day.
I am learning so much from them. Some of the things I have learned is how each one can have questions that lead to how they are going to decide at the end. Good listening skills are a must. After all, they are watching the security of all citizens of Arizona by allowing an inmate to leave or stay in our prison system. I find it fascinating that inmates have the ability to speak on their behalf and to change the way that their sentence will be carried.
I still have a lot to learn and I can't wait to ask one of them if I can interview them at a personal level and ask all the questions I have each and every time I see them at the hearings. Some of these questions would be; How do they carry all of this information home with them? Does it affect they way of living? Are there any cases that they wished they had voted different on? If you were not doing this type of work, what would you be doing?
Dealing with cases day by day can bring a load of stress. Honestly, I do not know how they do this and still maintain a smile at the end of the day.
I am learning so much from them. Some of the things I have learned is how each one can have questions that lead to how they are going to decide at the end. Good listening skills are a must. After all, they are watching the security of all citizens of Arizona by allowing an inmate to leave or stay in our prison system. I find it fascinating that inmates have the ability to speak on their behalf and to change the way that their sentence will be carried.
I still have a lot to learn and I can't wait to ask one of them if I can interview them at a personal level and ask all the questions I have each and every time I see them at the hearings. Some of these questions would be; How do they carry all of this information home with them? Does it affect they way of living? Are there any cases that they wished they had voted different on? If you were not doing this type of work, what would you be doing?
Branding Yourself
I had the opportunity to attend a workshop with MS. Douglas Zunk, in Career Services. This workshop was interesting because she explained how key words are essential in describing your abilities and skills. This class allows you to bring your resume and allow her to look at it and help you change the way you write your resume to be more of a brand of yourself. I had already had the honor and opportunity to speak with Ms. Zunk about resumes because she helped me get my internships I have now. She is very knowledgeable and if you have the opportunity to attend one of these, you should.
Knowing how to rewrite certain abilities and skills may be the key to landing or missing on a job opportunity. I have learned so much from her. She is very patient and has great ideas on what to add or remove from your resume. She states that branding and selling yourself to employers is crucial to landing successful jobs and careers
I plan to take more workshops and seminars that she offers. Best of all is free! what a great way to practice interviews, face challenges and be prepared for future interviews. I have to admit at first I found that I just couldn't fit these workshop into my busy schedule. I am so glad that I did. I want to be ready and equipped when I graduate from school.
Knowing how to rewrite certain abilities and skills may be the key to landing or missing on a job opportunity. I have learned so much from her. She is very patient and has great ideas on what to add or remove from your resume. She states that branding and selling yourself to employers is crucial to landing successful jobs and careers
I plan to take more workshops and seminars that she offers. Best of all is free! what a great way to practice interviews, face challenges and be prepared for future interviews. I have to admit at first I found that I just couldn't fit these workshop into my busy schedule. I am so glad that I did. I want to be ready and equipped when I graduate from school.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
A Typical Day at Work
A typical day at work for me at AZ Board of Executive Clemency:
I start this internship at 8:00 and finish at 12:30. I truly enjoy coming in and finding out what is scheduled for me to work on for that day. Usually I already know what I have to do.
First, I look at the files from the previous day and make sure that they are complete with all of the information needed to make a case for the Board members to review.
I get all of this files from my supervisor who has trained my on which information we copy from the Department of Corrections on the inmates files. These are inmate that are coming before the Board to ask and prove that they deserve to have a sentence reduced or parole as well as clemency.
Once all of the information is gathered we make four copies and hand them over to the Board members. We make sure we add all of the letter that we receive from inmates as well as victim or family of victims. Once the hearing is over, we get the decision from the board, and let anyone involved in the case of the outcome of the hearing.
It is very interesting how the justice system work, and how they decide whether or not this inmate can reintegrate back into society.
I start this internship at 8:00 and finish at 12:30. I truly enjoy coming in and finding out what is scheduled for me to work on for that day. Usually I already know what I have to do.
First, I look at the files from the previous day and make sure that they are complete with all of the information needed to make a case for the Board members to review.
I get all of this files from my supervisor who has trained my on which information we copy from the Department of Corrections on the inmates files. These are inmate that are coming before the Board to ask and prove that they deserve to have a sentence reduced or parole as well as clemency.
Once all of the information is gathered we make four copies and hand them over to the Board members. We make sure we add all of the letter that we receive from inmates as well as victim or family of victims. Once the hearing is over, we get the decision from the board, and let anyone involved in the case of the outcome of the hearing.
It is very interesting how the justice system work, and how they decide whether or not this inmate can reintegrate back into society.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Opportunity to watch my work in action
Today I had the opportunity to watch how all of the case files that I research, gather and analyze are used by the Board when they are in a hearing session. As I explained in my earlier blog, I gather the information that they will need for some of their hearings. My job primarily deals with commutations. However, I have the opportunity to learn how the other agency employees perform their duties that include parole and revocations.
Since the Board hearings are public anyone can go in and see any hearing at any time. The reason why they are public is because as a citizen you have the right to know what actions and decisions are being taken when felon or convicted inmate is being granted release or a reduction in sentence.
Today I saw the Board Members in action and I was impressed of how well they handle the cases that were before them. I was able to see how important it is for them to see all of the aspects of how their decisions will impact the inmate, his family, society and the families of the victims as well. I was able to go back after a hearing and ask questions of how and why some questions were either asked or not asked. It was very interesting and I hope to be able to sit at more of these hearings and see how our justice system carry through after years of incarceration.
Since the Board hearings are public anyone can go in and see any hearing at any time. The reason why they are public is because as a citizen you have the right to know what actions and decisions are being taken when felon or convicted inmate is being granted release or a reduction in sentence.
Today I saw the Board Members in action and I was impressed of how well they handle the cases that were before them. I was able to see how important it is for them to see all of the aspects of how their decisions will impact the inmate, his family, society and the families of the victims as well. I was able to go back after a hearing and ask questions of how and why some questions were either asked or not asked. It was very interesting and I hope to be able to sit at more of these hearings and see how our justice system carry through after years of incarceration.
Interns in Action Field Trip
Friday was an interesting day for me because we had the opportunity to visit Arizona Department of Health Laboratory. Arizona Department of Administration has an awesome opportunity on a monthly basis to visit a state agency and have a complete guided tour where they explain everything that they agency does and how it functions and its effects on Arizona's citizens.
The Laboratory was very interesting, especially since it was my first time visiting. We were required to wear lab coats and safety goggles throughout our visit. We were introduced to all the elements that are inside that building. Some of the interesting things I saw was a small fox that they had received from the wild that was not acting properly and his behavior was alarming. They only receive the head and cut it open to examine the brain.
We were also taken to the floor that studies Ebola and the Measles. Another interesting department of this laboratory also test foods and minerals from the state to test for diseases. After the tour we were taken for lunch and had the opportunity to network with the rest of the interns from different departments. I can't wait to see which agency we will visit next month. I will keep you posted!
The Laboratory was very interesting, especially since it was my first time visiting. We were required to wear lab coats and safety goggles throughout our visit. We were introduced to all the elements that are inside that building. Some of the interesting things I saw was a small fox that they had received from the wild that was not acting properly and his behavior was alarming. They only receive the head and cut it open to examine the brain.
We were also taken to the floor that studies Ebola and the Measles. Another interesting department of this laboratory also test foods and minerals from the state to test for diseases. After the tour we were taken for lunch and had the opportunity to network with the rest of the interns from different departments. I can't wait to see which agency we will visit next month. I will keep you posted!
Arizona Board of Executive Clemency
The agency that I work for is the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency. This agency is in charge of processing and conducting daily parole hearing for inmates convicted of offenses. The Board conducts hearings that considers home arrests, work furlough, absolute discharge from imprisonment or from parole supervision. Most importantly, is the function of the board of conducting hearings for clemency actions that include, pardon, commutation of sentence and reprieve. These hearings are public, and the inmates do not come directly to the agency, they are televised in the general foyer of our agency.
There is a Board that is composed of four individuals that base on the facts, letters and actions of those being heard, their family and the victims services, determine the fate of these inmates. This board is also inside of our agency and there are six employees that run the administration of the agency and assists the Executive Director.
My role, responsibilities and duties are given to me by the agency manager of interns. She is very knowledgeable and very resourceful. I am given daily responsibilities that include the research and information required to put cases together for the board to inspect, research and analyse before the hearings. These cases are the inmates application, their versions of incident, criminal records, and letters from those that support their release.
I am very excited that everyday I learn something new and realize how important it is to be part of the justice system that has the interest of all Arizona's citizens safety in mind when making decisions.
There is a Board that is composed of four individuals that base on the facts, letters and actions of those being heard, their family and the victims services, determine the fate of these inmates. This board is also inside of our agency and there are six employees that run the administration of the agency and assists the Executive Director.
My role, responsibilities and duties are given to me by the agency manager of interns. She is very knowledgeable and very resourceful. I am given daily responsibilities that include the research and information required to put cases together for the board to inspect, research and analyse before the hearings. These cases are the inmates application, their versions of incident, criminal records, and letters from those that support their release.
I am very excited that everyday I learn something new and realize how important it is to be part of the justice system that has the interest of all Arizona's citizens safety in mind when making decisions.
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