Internship inspires Liberal Arts student to seek career in service and education

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Alana Nesmith, a third-year student double majoring in political science and communication arts and sciences, holds many titles as a Penn State student.

The Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar is an event coordinator for the Multicultural Undergraduate Law Association, a peer adviser for the Liberal Arts Office of Academic Advising, a recipient of the Academic Excellence Award from Penn State's Forum on Black Affairs and a Nevins Fellow.

These passions — most notably the Nevins Fellows program — have culminated in the Rock Hill, South Carolina native’s love of service and education.

Students in the Nevins Fellows program, housed in the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, receive funding to complete internships at organizations that bring people together to solve common problems. The program is supported by David Nevins, a 1969 economics alumnus.

Last spring, Nesmith took CAS/PL SC 209 Democratic Leadership, a one-credit course that provides a background for students interested in the Nevins Fellows program. The course includes workshops that introduce students to effective civic leaders in government or the nonprofit sector, as well as seminars that cover democracy, dialogue and deliberation more broadly.

“I took the Nevins Fellows course and really learned about ways to improve democracy and research what has impacted democracy in recent years,” Nesmith said. “Our final project was a five-page paper on how you see yourself improving democracy.”

Nesmith was selected as one of six Nevins Fellows last summer and interned at the Heathmere Center for Cultural Engagement, which is an organization on Boston’s North Shore that collaborates with local partners to design inclusive programs integrating dialogue, artistic expression and anti-oppression education to advance equity, inclusion and a sense of belonging.

“At my internship we would have weekly programs on race conversations,” Nesmith said. “People would come in and discuss with us ways to combat racism and how to be an ally. I also did political research and conducted surveys on topics such as government trust and media trust.”

Nesmith said her favorite part of this experience was the genuine conversations she had with a diverse group of individuals. She explained that facilitating conversations on race and allyship had a profound impact on her.

“People generally don’t want to have conversations about race, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights, but giving them a place to be educated and open was amazing,” Nesmith said. “Seeing people of all ages and backgrounds be willing to have these conversations was incredible. We were teaching people how to show up as an ally, and by having these conversations, I was able to see people’s views change in real time.”

Nesmith plans to attend law school and practice criminal defense law one day. Because of her internship and time as a Nevins Fellow, however, she plans to take a gap year to start her own nonprofit.

“I really see the need for a group like Heathmere in my hometown in South Carolina,” Nesmith said. “We’re still in the beginning stages of funding, location and recognition, but I want to provide a space for education and facilitation of these conversations at my home. If we don’t speak to each other, then we won't learn. People usually don’t know how to navigate these spaces, so I want to have a safe space for everybody to learn.”

Nesmith said her Liberal Arts education and her major in communication arts and sciences in particular have helped her gain the skills needed to create her own nonprofit.

“It has allowed me to understand how important communication is and how crucial the skill is to improve our current state of democracy,” she said.

Nesmith added that her numerous successes would not be possible without help from the College of the Liberal Arts. From her courses to extracurricular involvements, she credited the college for allowing her to explore her interests and opportunities.

“I was dead set on only doing political science when I came to Penn State, but the college and the Paterno Fellows Program opened my eyes to so many other topics,” Nesmith said. “I loved my first communication arts and sciences class and really got to know people within the department and eventually joined the major.

“The Paterno Fellows Program and Schreyer Honors College allowed me to have so many opportunities of self-exploration. I am currently working on my honors thesis where I am analyzing fashion during the Black Panther movement versus the Black Lives Matter movement and looking at what messages were displayed through the fashion.”

As a peer adviser in the Liberal Arts Office of Academic Advising, Nesmith helps new students adjust to college life, explore opportunities for social and academic engagement and find ways to connect to the college and to peers. She also works with upper-class students to address a variety of academic and other concerns. 

“I help students answers questions they may have for their academic adviser whenever their adviser might be unavailable,” Nesmith said. “This can include directing them to resources in the college, like academic scholarships or education abroad, that are offered by our other Student Services offices or helping them find classes and sharing general advice.”

Nesmith is also a teaching assistant for LA 83 First-Year Seminar in the Liberal Arts. She sees herself working in positions similar to this as she supports herself through law school.

“I was drawn to the position as I wanted to help other students, especially minorities like myself, feel more connected with the college and have better access to the resources available to them,” she said.