Theory and Practice

Nonprofit internships add new dimension to Women’s Studies program

For several decades, Webster’s Women’s Studies program has coordinated curriculum offerings and events that integrate feminist thought from across the liberal arts disciplines. As society and education have evolved, the opportunities to explore our world through this lens have multiplied.

One such opportunity has become an immediate hit since its launch at Webster last summer.

Adjunct professor Linda Housch Collins has spearheaded an internship program where students seeking the Women’s Studies minor or certificate apply their studies at nonprofits such as the YWCA, Habitat for Humanity, and the International Institute.

"I wanted an internship that specialized in family or criminal law protecting and enhancing the rights of women. Something that provides advocacy to improve the status of women and protect their rights and obligations in society."

Depending on the program, student interns work 12 - 16 hours per week with their nonprofits, in addition to a weekly seminar with Collins. Seven students enrolled for the summer program, and nine took part this fall.

“Linda gave it the jump start,” says Women’s Studies chair Anne McIlhaney. “And it’s really taken off.

Junior international relations major Kristen Armstrong interned at the International Institute of St. Louis, which provides a range of services to international immigrants to the St. Louis area. Her projects included composing a guidebook of resources for incoming refugees from Nepal.

“Kristin also helped prepare for political forums at the Institute that brought together local and state politicians to dialogue with area refugees,” Collins says. “And part of her weekly experience included tutoring high school-age refugee females in English and math.”

Internships in legal family services

Collins also arranged an internship program with attorneys at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM), an agency that provides legal services to low-income populations such as immigrants and inner-city families. Among LSEM’s programs is the Lasting Solutions Project, which provides legal services to low-income, abused women or men who are seeking a divorce or child custody proceedings. For some victims English is a second language, making navigating the legal process all the more intimidating.

Junior political science major Cara Kurtz was the first to intern at LSEM through Webster's Women's Studies program in Summer 2007. A second Webster student, American studies major Bet Stapleton, followed Kurtz at LSEM in the fall.

“Cara and Bet fit a niche for undergraduate interns for Webster University at this agency,” Collins says. “Their contributions with clients, legal research, and courtroom support have become vital to LSEM.”

Kurtz and Stapleton spent their hours collecting data from new LSEM clients and observing several cases in domestic court.

“It’s really important work,” Collins says. “LSEM has a heavy caseload. There is a lot of paperwork – including a 15-page form – that new clients must go through before an attorney can be assigned. The interns help walk them through it and make sure the client understands everything.”

Stapleton, an adult student who is also working on a paralegal certifiate, exemplifies the value Webster University places on lifelong learning. She intends to seek admission to a St. Louis area law school after graduation next year, and this internship helped her combine her interests.

“I wanted an internship that specialized in family or criminal law protecting and enhancing the rights of women,” Stapleton says. “Something that provides advocacy to improve the status of women and protect their rights and obligations in society.”

Stapleton found that at LSEM, where she continues to volunteer. Her experiences reaching out to clients have been eye-opening.

“On my first day in court, a city judge invited me into his chambers to speak with him about a case I had just watched him preside over,” Stapleton says. “He called it one of the worst cases he's ever had to hear. It involved dual orders of protection, where each spouse had a restraining order against the other. It involved child custody, child support, and a third-party intervention. In essence, neither parent was really fit to qualify for custody of the children, nor was the third party who petitioned to intervene. The judge was left with an extremely difficult decision.”

The judge explained to Stapleton the details of why and how he would reach a decision. “In chambers,” she says, “He thanked me for being an intern and said he often tries to give extra time to those who volunteer their time in court."

But the interns’ most important work may be in their outreach to clients before they ever see a courtroom.

“The first question I ask if I make contact with a client is usually, ‘Are you in a safe enough environment to speak with me right now?’” Stapleton says.

“The thought of having to live in such fear is foreign to most of us, but not to someone who is caught in a cycle of abusive power. When I first began, I found it hard to leave the images of such heartbreaking stories of abuse within the confines of my cubicle. I was in awe of how creatively destructive human beings can become in the use of force, intimidation, and control.”

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