Kassidy Shaw, a sophomore from Newtown, Pa., double majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology, interned with the Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA) in Jamison, Pa., over the summer, creating social media content, promotional flyers/graphics, educational materials, and more.

Shaw got involved with NOVA through the Foundations Community Partnership’s Summer Youth Corps, a ten-week paid internship program that connects college sophomores and juniors with local nonprofits in Bucks County. The program helps students learn academic, social, and professional skills while giving back to the community. Three college credits are also available through Bucks County Community College upon completion of the program. Shaw chose NOVA since it aligned most closely with her majors.

Aside from the more general responsibilities, Shaw also helped out with NOVA’s Bucks Coalition Against Trafficking (BCAT) initiative.

“They hosted multiple events, including a tattoo removal or coverup partnership with a local tattoo place,” she said. “Many victims of trafficking are tattooed, so having a program that offers them free removal or cover-up is crucial for them.”

She also supported NOVA’s educational department by helping to create materials to send to schools detailing the programs NOVA offers.

“This department goes into schools to educate them on a variety of topics including bullying, harassment, and assault,” Shaw added. “A fun part with education was making the scenarios that they could use in these specific programs. I had the creative ability to write out scenarios that would appear in middle school programming, these were just simple things like ‘Jessica posted a picture that Sarah wasn’t okay with, what should Sarah do?’” 

Shaw also created videos and social media posts advertising NOVA’s thrift store, which takes donations and puts them directly toward helping victims of crimes. Before the end of the summer, she was also invited to sit in on a court hearing.

“This specifically was extremely helpful for me to understand the criminal justice system from a victim’s perspective,” Shaw said. “In the internship overall though, I developed skills in office protocols, task management, and teamwork, which are crucial for future roles in criminal justice and psychology. I also gained insights into building and maintaining professional relationships and applying emotional intelligence to interact effectively with others.” 

“I would love to work with NOVA again in the future,” she added. “Everyone there was wonderful and it is an experience I will never forget! I am extremely grateful that I was able to intern at such a great organization with an important mission.”