Internship Experience: Nayra Green at the Utah Prison Education Project
Nayra Green
In a world where education is framed as a key to success, incarcerated individuals are frequently overlooked. However, initiatives like the Utah Prison Education Project (UPEP) are challenging that narrative and working to empower students behind bars. This semester I had the privilege of working for UPEP and witnessing firsthand the positive impacts of engaging communities both inside and out of the prison. This internship has been formative in solidifying my career and personal aspirations in prison abolition.
I was excited to apply for an internship with UPEP to broaden my understanding of the barriers incarcerated people face and to learn different approaches to combating inequality. Through past internships with Salt Lake Peer Court and the Utah Division for Multicultural Affairs, I was introduced to Utah’s youth criminal justice programs. Thus as one of three undergraduate interns, I was tasked with helping establish UPEP’s Youth Reentry Program. I spent the first few weeks of the semester doing an in-depth literature review of existing reentry resources on the national and local levels. Since then I have been researching reentry pedagogies to better understand how UPEP can build a reentry guide relevant to Utah residents. Additionally I have been learning about Utah law and existing community organizations that provide services to system-impacted youth. Beyond youth-specific work, I assist with compiling resources and editing UPEP’s Adult Reentry Guide.
Limited resources, bureaucratic hurdles, and societal stigmas all pose significant obstacles for youth along their reentry journey. I hope that ultimately the resources and space UPEP provides helps current and former incarcerated students feel empowered to access higher education.
Doing research has taught me a number of tangible skills but has also allowed me to critically engage with dominant narratives of incarceration. Working with UPEP has helped me change my own ways of thinking about intersecting systems of oppression. I love being able to connect theory with practice and realize the shortcomings in approaching abolition from an academic lens. My mentor and supervisor, Pamela, has offered me her life experiences and perspectives doing prison reform work for over a decade. I’m grateful to learn from her, other staff, and interns and collectively strategize about ways to minimize the violence people experience while in prison.
By engaging more closely with imprisoned populations and learning personal stories of incarceration, I’ve been inspired to continue this work. I’ve known for a while that I want to work in prison abolition, but UPEP has helped me realize specific careers and graduate programs I can pursue. It has helped me understand the ways I can engage in social justice work and better understand my role as an individual in overarching systems.
If I were to offer advice to other students seeking an internship, I would emphasize the importance of open mindedness. Be curious about the work you’re undertaking and ask lots of questions. And be open to making mistakes and taking accountability for them.
This internship with UPEP has been one of the most meaningful and engaging experiences of my college career and I look forward to continuing this reentry work in the fall!
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