Sociology and Criminal Justice

EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee presented her research poster, “Prisoner Reentry: College Perceptions of Reentry Barriers in a Northwest Community” this November at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) conference. With the support of her mentor, Dr. Lindsey Upton, Theresa studied the college community’s perception of barriers to reentry that might interrupt, or help, successful reentry for inmates and developed an informational poster to present her research.

Theresa talked with us about how valuable she found the experience.

“The time I spent at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) conference, located this year in San Francisco, California, was incredible! I presented my research in poster format, and was able to meet some interesting contacts from universities across the country. Among those contacts was current McMair scholar Cheyenne McQuain from (St. Lawrence University, New York) along with a variety of professors from: Old Dominion University, Sam Houston University, Florida State University, Kansas State University and American University—to name a few. I attended multiple university socials and was able to converse with professors and graduate students about life at their university and upcoming or current research opportunities. However, this opportunity was not all work; I was able to taking a walking tour of San Francisco with a handful of professors to learn about past criminal history and activity within the area. It was a chilling and unforgettable experience that I now share with the attending professors—professors who work with and for potential graduate programs I’ll be applying to. Therefore, this experience was immensely valuable in regards to networking!

Networking wasn’t the only benefit I experienced, however. An invaluable and profitable bit of knowledge that I gained was obtained through observation. It was interesting and helpful for me to see how professionals in the field (a field I hope to join) conduct, investigate, and present their research. This information will help me prepare for future presentations and conferences.

Personally, I believe that I made a memorable impression and a handful of useful contacts to assist me in obtaining my future goals. All in all, this experience was life changing and unbelievably enjoyable.”

The EWU McNair Scholars Program works with each student to get them connected to research opportunities, supports them in completing their research papers and preparing for conferences and presentations, and we require scholars to attend at least one conference for exactly the reasons Theresa illustrates so well above.

We are so excited that Theresa had such a great experience and proud of her work as a McNair Scholar!