Through a Hess Fellows internship, Birmingham-Southern College junior Sophie Herrington lived and worked in Washington, D.C., furthering her education and serving low-income women.

Herrington knew she wanted to work with women when she was applying for an internship last fall. She also knew she wanted to explore her interest in poverty and homelessness as a human rights and conflict studies major with a distinction in poverty studies. She was selected as a Hess Fellow and nominated for an internship with Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP), which placed her in D.C.

“I knew that I wanted to work with women and experience working at a nonprofit, but I didn’t know exactly how,” Herrington says about her search for her ideal internship.

SHECP placed her with N Street Village, a nonprofit that provides housing and supportive services to homeless and low-income women. Herrington worked in the Bethany Women’s Day Center, where women can eat meals, do laundry, take showers, and participate in classes and other activities.

“One hundred percent of my job was client contact, whether that was serving meals to the women, giving out toiletries, or leading welcome sessions for incoming clients,” she says.

Herrington also taught a journaling class with another intern, leading women in different activities to reflect on their memories and stories. The day center provides creative and relaxing activities as well as educational courses.

“N Street has a lot of support, and I wanted to work with a non-profit that functioned well,” Herrington says. “It’s well-known and established, so it offers more services than anything I’ve experienced in Alabama. I wanted to see the intricacies of a nonprofit that isn’t struggling to fund their services.”

BSC’s Hess Fellows Program, part of the Krulak Institute for Leadership, Experiential Learning, and Civic Engagement, is designed for students like Herrington who have an interest in nonprofit work. Hess Fellows are connected with internships focused on public-policy advocacy or antipoverty work, and each student receives a stipend for living expenses during the eight-week placement.

This fall, the 2019 class of Hess Fellows presented research and reflection at the Krulak Institute Poster Exposition, where students were able to share their research and details about their experiences with others. At the expo, Herrington presented on imposter syndrome – the feeling of inadequacy in the work and tasks she was assigned. She focused on how women in the day center had to ask her for permission for necessities and how she was only allowed to give out toiletries under certain conditions.

“I would think, ‘How am I qualified to tell you whether or not you deserve to take a shower?’” Herrington remembers. “But I learned that even though I’m not someone who really understands the experiences they’re going through, I can still provide support and understand the boundaries that exist.”

The internship allowed Herrington to build relationships with women in the day center and to explore what she wants to do after graduation. Herrington hopes to work in D.C. again but on a different side of the nonprofit world through advocacy or policy.

“I felt like the internship was a great combination of the population I feel passionate about providing services to and diving deeper into my studies of homelessness,” she says. “Doing direct service at a nonprofit gave me a lot of insight.”

Five of the 13 Hess Fellows were placed in D.C. and had the opportunity to meet various politicians and get to know what it’s like to live there. Herrington stayed at Howard University and walked to her internship each day, allowing her to make the city her home for eight weeks.

“D.C. is an environment where I felt very supported, and I want to explore a different side of advocacy. In the future, through volunteer service or policy change, I will continue to advocate for the population,” she says.

Applications for the 2020 class of Hess Fellows are due Nov. 17 on Engage. Please contact Emily Thornton at [email protected] with any questions about the program. Click here to learn more about the 2019 Hess Fellows.