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Staunton Organizing's
Internship Program
Staunton Organizing’s internship program is founded on the principles of Public Sociology, a style of community engaged learning that applies academic ideals to projects and collaborations in order to build equitable and accessible outcomes for communities. The program develops interns' professional skills and provides a structural application of their passions for social justice and mutual aid.
All interns apply the experience they gain during their placement to the completion of a unique community education or engagement project that functions as the culmination of their learning within the program. Each placement is formed through a non-hierarchical, counter-normative, dialectical process that empowers grassroots collaborations.
We have placed interns with interests in law, civic engagement, non-profit startup, community organizing, web design, teaching, business, international affairs, and criminal justice - but this list is growing! We accept interns with a variety of interests.
Spring Cohort 2022
Alexis Dearmon
Staunton Organizing
Internship in Trauma-informed Care & Jail Reform
Alexis is a double major in Psychology & Social Work with a minor in Sociology at Mary Baldwin University, where she is a 3rd year. As a public sociology intern, she participated in Staunton Organizing's Middle River Jail Reform effort. For her community engagement project, she worked to established the Public Sociology Club at Mary Baldwin to facilitate student engagement with the local community under the Public Sociology program at Mary Baldwin.
Alexis enjoys advocating for those who may not be able to advocate for themselves. She is interested in trauma-informed care-related work and passionate about intersectionality and promoting equity. After graduation, Alexis plans to go into licensed clinical social work with adolescents after exploring master's degree opportunities.
Cyrus Ritcher
Staunton Organizing
Internship in Public Sociology Pedagogy & Application
Cyrus is a double major in Sociology & Psychology at Mary Baldwin University, where they are a 4th year. As a public sociology intern, they shadowed Sociology Prof. Bob Robson in critical pedagogy and inter-institutional networking. In the future, Cyrus is interested in furthering their interest in public sociology by applying the discipline's spirit to social issues related to the criminal justice system.
Kasie Banks
Local & Vocal
Internship in Fair Housing & Tenant's Rights
Kasie is a graduating 4th year at Mary Baldwin, where she is majoring in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Public Safety and a minor in Sociology. As a public sociology intern, she works with Local & Vocal founder ... on a community education initiative focused on the tenants rights of public housing residents. She has also used her internship to investigate resources for the local homeless community.
Skye Phinizy
Staunton Organizing
Internship in Community Organizing & NonProfit Startup
Skye is Sociology & Political Science major at Mary Baldwin University, where they are a graduating 4th year. As the cohorts' lead intern they shadowed Staunton Organizing's Executive Director and worked to develop the Public Sociology Internship Program in partnership with Staunton Organizing, the 51st Collective & Mary Baldwin University’s Sociology Department. They also provided support and guidance for her fellow Spring inters.
For their community engagement project, Skye designed Staunton Organizing's website & got our social media platforms up and running!
After graduating with her BA, Skye will continue to pursue their passion for Sociology as a PhD student in Fall 2022.
Mary Moran
LEAD & Augusta County Commonwealth Attorney's Office
Internship in Drug Courts & Therapeutic Dockets
Mary is a Political Science & Criminal Justice major at Mary Baldwin University, where she is a 4th year and athlete on the Women's Basketball and Track & Field teams. She was born in St. Petersburg, Florida and raised in Lutz, Florida.
As an undergraduate, Mary found her passion for criminal justice and the impact it can have on society. After graduation, she plans to attend law school. As she defines her path to her legal career, her goals are to become a positive contribution to criminal justice and rebuild a relationship of trust between the criminal justice system and society. Learning of the L.E.A.D program and the role the commonwealth’s attorney’s office can play in changing someone’s life has inspired her to take this action and be a part of that change.
Sara Titus
Staunton Organizing
Internship in Trauma-informed Care & Jail Reform
Sara is a 4th year at Mary Baldwin University. As a public sociology intern, she participated in Staunton Organizing's Middle River Jail Reform effort. For her community engagement project, she worked to establish the Public Sociology Club at Mary Baldwin to facilitate student engagement with the local community under the Public Sociology program at Mary Baldwin.
Sarah has always been interested in criminal justice & jail reform, in addition to the well-being of individuals who have been incarcerated and that of their families. In support of this interest, she has taken several classes in criminal justice, sociology, and trauma-informed care. Sara is passionate about gaining more knowledge and experiencing what it is to make a difference in someone's life.
Sonya Ayala-Correa
LEAD Program
Internship in Community Education & Engagement
Maryam Idris
Shenandoah LGBTQ Center
Internship in Community Resource Development
Maryam is a sophomore at Mary Baldwin University pursuing a major in sociology with a minor in studio art. As a public sociology inter, she has worked to develop a resource list for Hope House, a part of the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center’s community initiatives.
Sophia Frey
Augusta County Commonwealth Attorney's Office
Internship in Child Advocacy Law
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