Liberal Arts student finds passion for working with children at local internship

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ashley Phelan, a fourth-year student majoring in psychology, knew she wanted an internship this past summer, but she wasn’t sure where to start. After scheduling a meeting with a career coach in the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network, Phelan met with Katie Wysocki, director of the Career Enrichment Network. It was during this meeting that Phelan found her perfect internship.

“I needed help with my resume and getting myself out there while starting to look for an internship,” the Orangeburg, New York native said. “Katie showed me a bunch of different internships that she thought would be of interest to me.”

Phelan interned for the Centre County Youth Service Bureau where she worked closely with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre County reviewing volunteer application references and participating in volunteer interviews.

“I also had the opportunity to interact with children and get a better sense of how younger children think and behave,” Phelan said. “As a psychology major, I am very interested in learning about the mind and how that impacts human behavior. Being able to interact with children from different backgrounds and experiences firsthand was an eye-opening experience.”

This internship solidified Phelan’s desire to find a job working with non-profit organizations like the Youth Service Bureau. Phelan realized that the balance between office work and interacting with people, especially children, is what she enjoyed most. However, it was the State College Pride Parade that really sparked her passion for working with such an organization.

“I got to march in the parade with a bunch of children from the program and a bunch of girls from the local group home,” Phelan said. “I couldn’t help but think about how amazing it is that this entire organization came out to support a cause like this.”

Not only did staying in State College for the summer during her internship allow Phelan to find her passions, but it also allowed her to get a sense of what it would be like in the real world.

“I think in college I’ve been inching towards that freedom of being on my own, as many other students are as well. So, I think this summer was just another step towards that, and I really enjoyed it,” she said.

After the internship, Phelan decided to apply to be a “big sister” after seeing the impact that volunteers have on the children. She was accepted into the program and now meets with her “little sister” once a week to do an activity with her.

Although she had only heard about the Big Brothers Big Sisters program through TV programming and was not a part of it when she was younger, Phelan always thought it would be an interesting program to be part of in her community. She appreciates the opportunity to give back to a community that needs it and to be there for a child who may not have someone like her at home.

“I want my ‘little’ to know that someone will always care about them. There’s always going to be someone who is thinking about them,” Phelan said. “I want them to know that they don’t have to do everything alone, even if that’s what their home life has led them to believe.”

Having a support system that you can rely on means a lot to Phelan, and it is something that she wants to give to others since she knows how encouraging and helpful it can be to have. Her support system at Penn State, especially in the College of the Liberal Arts, has guided her to pursue her passions in this interest.

Phelan appreciates learning about available out-of-classroom experiences through her psychology instructors.

“The faculty are great about sending out any kind of opportunity to get involved, whether they be research opportunities or internships they know about,” she said.

Phelan’s academic adviser, Jennifer Plummer, has helped Phelan by providing course options and telling her the benefits of each one and how they might fit with her interests. Phelan values being able to go over this information with Plummer so that she can make informed decisions about her academic journey and future.