Jordan Moses '26 enrolled in Endicott College to study photography – she lasted one semester with the school and with the major.
"I went to Loudonville Christian School my whole life. It's less than two miles from Siena. I always thought, 'I'm getting out of Loudonville,' until I found myself coming home."
Moses says the lack of diversity at her first school was disheartening and her path felt unfulfilling. She's always been interested in criminal justice (watching Criminals Minds with her grandmother planted that seed), and so she pivoted to criminal justice studies and the human rights track.
"The human rights track is about learning how to promote restorative justice and taking a personal approach to addressing issues in the criminal justice system."
At Siena, Moses found the right school, the right major, and the right track, but she still wasn't sure what to do with it all... until her advisor suggested a specific internship.
Moses knew, even at a young age, the important role family court played in her own life. Personal issues of custody and child support, with life-altering implications, were resolved in court. Moses's mom, above, was honest with her daughter about the realities and the consequences. This was part of Moses's story, and now firsthand, she's hearing stories from others. Annie Rody-Wright, J.D., criminal justice studies program director, connected Moses with an internship at Albany County Family Court.
"I work hand-in-hand with the chief clerk. Sometimes I'm observing court cases, or I'm hearing stories at the intake window as people enter their petitions. It can be emotionally taxing to hear what people are going through, but it's shown me that I want to be a court clerk."
Moses's mom is a physical therapist, and in her own way, Moses has always wanted to help people. She just wasn't sure how. Finding the right major got her closer, the internship got her all the way there.
"Overall, the criminal justice studies program, has been enlightening. I never knew of restorative justice until I came here. Now I have this new perspective, and I know I can make a real difference in people's lives."
"What is thrilling to me about Jordan finding her passion through her internship, is that this is exactly the reason we require all criminal justice studies majors to participate in an internship in their junior or senior year. Hands-on experiential learning related to the student’s track of specialization often catalyzes and cements their career path. Certainly, it teaches students what they love (that maybe they hadn’t previously considered) and don’t like at all (that maybe they’d been sure was their ultimate dream job).
I am also excited (and proud!) that with every semester of its three-year existence, the internship options for students have expanded, as Saints continue to impress their internship supervisors. We now have certain police departments, bureaus of the Albany DA’s office, divisions of the state crime lab, courts, and non-profits that specifically seek Siena interns, because they have discovered what we already know: You can’t top a Saint!”
Annie Rody-Wright, J.D., criminal justice studies program coordinator
Want help finding an internship? From employer events and career fairs/expos to 1:1 appointments, The MacDonnell Career and Internship Center equips students with the tools to turn their goals into internship and career success.