DEVELOPING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS AND ESSAYS (4 POINTS)

I recently submitted an application to participate in the Crime Analytics Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Arkansas. If accepted into this summer internship, I look forward to developing a multidisciplinary research approach to solutions that incorporate the various determinants of carceral health. The track that I am specifically interested in, Health and Justice Inequities, uses quantitative data analysis of national databases to study how justice-related processes deteriorate health. In my cover letter, I highlighted the independent research I have conducted in two courses, Honors Composition and Documenting Brilliance Behind Bars, to demonstrate my fitness for the program. As I have learned in these courses, in which I created presentations on the effects of the school-to-prison pipeline on adolescent mental health or how higher education in prisons positively impact justice-impacted individuals, criminal legal reform requires a multidisciplinary approach to address the deep-rooted issues within the carceral system. If selected, I am particularly excited to receive mentorship from the esteemed researchers that direct the program. Aside from the visits to practitioners like crime analytics specialists, I would also work closely with experts in medical sociology, research methods, statistics, the intersection of gender, race, class, and crime, child maltreatment, and bias crime. Through this mentorship and academic guidance, I can narrow down my career path and foster relationships that are integral to the future reform efforts I will accomplish.

By: Lorna Morris