Intern Experience Reflection Essay -- Reflection Paper, criminal justi

As I continue exploring the aspects of Family Inc., I find myself becoming more amazed at the tragedies that occur in the lives of juveniles. Society is always pointing the finger at the children, blaming them and punishing their negative actions. With a deeper look at the family system behind these children, I have found an empathy for the delinquent children. The organization is not only for delinquent children, but it is thought that children with incarcerated parents have a higher risk of going into the prison system. Especially since these children most likely get placed with grandparents, they could become more rebellious and hard to handle. Since learning the mentor database system, I have seen a bit more of the actual family aspect of the mentees. I have been updated and informed of children, the stories of their parents, and how they got where they are now. The circumstances that I have heard about are things that I could not even imagine going through myself. Growing up in Philadelphia and even having close friends with troubled homes has not prepared me for the issues I hear. It is no wonder these children lose their self-control. I guess this just shows the cycle of the criminal justice system. The streets create criminals, whether it be through poverty or simple environmental stressors. The criminals have children, like everyone else. Their children are subject to the living situations that come with losing a parent to the system, which in turn pushes them to the streets. They follow the same path their parents walked down. I see Family Inc. as an institution that creates a fork in the road, giving the child the options to go the right way and steer clear of crime. The mentor is a guide to show the light to the r... ...me to college. I finally get to see what I learned in the class come alive in the professional world. I now yearn to learn more about my career choice from the classroom, so I can continue to make use of it in the real world. I have even decided that I might change around a couple of my classes to figure out what juvenile classes are offer the coming semester. Overall, I am enjoying the experience. I am taking each day as it comes, learning as I go. I think that working with Family, Inc. is a good interning experience. I find it to be a good mix of my life goals and personal interest. I am currently a mentor, orientation leader, and university ambassador at school and I have always been one to be there to help new people adapt. I guess this has always been in my mind because, now that I think of it, even in my lower level jobs, I trained new employees.