Sociology Doctoral Student Carmen Marie Gutierrez

Carmen Gutierrez"I had the pleasure of working with IE Pre-Grad Intern, Marcy Simental, who, like me, was the first in her family to attend college. Marcy and I also shared interests in Criminology, which led to our collaboration this semester in the IE Program. Through our work together this semester, Marcy assisted me with research on a Best Practices Review of Transition Planning for Homeless Populations leaving jails. Marcy conducted literature reviews, as well as assessments of reentry and transition plans throughout the United States. This work will ultimately be presented to the Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable.

Also important in our work together was preparing Marcy for her future after her undergraduate education. Marcy wishes to pursue a graduate career, so a portion of our work together was constructing a personal statement that she will utilize when it comes time for her to prepare applications for graduate school.

Not only was our work together practical for Marcy, but it was incredibly insightful for me. It was very rewarding to learn from Marcy about her personal experiences that led her to her interests in Sociology, and I was thrilled to be her mentor. These skills are invaluable as I act a resource for undergraduates as a TA in the Sociology Department."