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Internships can be a great way to build a resume and hone skills, but internships are also hugely beneficial in that they tend to offer young professionals a new, and sometimes unexpected, perspective on an industry or career path. Students often have an idea of the type of career they wish to pursue, but within every industry or field, there are a great many 鈥榟idden鈥� jobs 鈥� those jobs that are interesting/important/relevant, but that are not well-known outside of the community of people who work in that industry.

In this 黑料正能量 Intern Spotlight, Frances Eby tells us about her internship with the Minnesota Department of Corrections, and how it allowed her to discover a new possible angle to achieve her goals.

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Tell us a little bit about your background.

I'm from the United States, specifically Minnesota and the Twin Cities. I predominantly grew up there except for the two years my family lived in Istanbul, Turkey. I graduated high school early and spent 3 months living in Rabat, Morocco before moving to Paris.

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Which company/organization are you currently interning with?

I interned with the Minnesota Department of Corrections or the DOC.

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Where is your internship taking place?

My internship took place at the Central Office of the DOC in St. Paul, but included an immense amount of travelling to Minnesota Correctional Facilities across the state as well as patrolling within the Twin Cities (St. Paul and Minneapolis).

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When is your internship taking place?

Summer 2018

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What is your job title?

I was the Office of Special Investigations Level 3 Predatory Offender intern.

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What types of responsibilities and/or tasks do you have in your internship? What's a typical day for you?

During my internship, I toured almost every correctional facility (prison) in the state. I also was present during level 3 Interviews with a special investigator. These interviews are designed to collect as much information on the offender at the beginning and end of their incarceration including their treatment progress, mindset, and plans for the future. I also compiled information from across court systems and the US in order to create profiles which are used to tell the entire history of an offender in the case they choose to abscond. Additionally, I monitored phone calls and emails sent to and from offenders as well as gathering any information investigators needed in an active investigation. I compiled records for civil commitments for district and county attorneys. I had the privilege to conduct ride-alongs with both intensive supervisory release agents and state fugitive unit police.

A typical day could be anything from collecting records to go into the community or visiting offenders in facilities. I really enjoyed the changing, varied nature of the internship.

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What language(s) are you speaking/using in your internship?

English.

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Tell us about your future goals/aspirations. Is this internship relevant? Do you think it will help you along the way?

This internship really changed what I wanted to do with my life. I was really surprised by this, it definitely wasn't something I was expecting. In a nutshell, I want to catch bad guys. I thought I wanted to do this through law and human rights, but this made me think about doing that from a different angle. I didn't realize how capable I could be of doing the more 鈥渙n-the-ground鈥� work of criminality. I definitely think the internship showed me all kinds of people can be successful in this field and it really depends on who's around you. I definitely think this will help me along the way. It completely changed the way I look at this field and my perspectives on a lot of issues.The technology I'm learning about is also becoming incredibly popular, and will continue to be in the future. So if my interests change in the next year I'll be in an excellent position to continue in this high demand area of my field.

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Anything else to share?

This internship was amazing because of how much "real" work I got to do. There were a lot of situations that many interns wouldn't be allowed to be a part of, it was really unique in that way. This kind of hands on learning and experience is really invaluable. I learned a lot of practical information about the criminal justice system, but also a lot of lessons on integrity, hard work, and dedication. It really changed my life. I really just want to thank everyone who does the work every day and who let me into their world for the summer.