La Salle University’s James A. Finnegan Public Service
Fellowship Allows Students to Pursue Career Goals

Three La Salle University students are interning this summer with nonprofit and government agencies as part of the University's James A. Finnegan Public Service Fellowship, which supports a student’s goal of a successful career in public service.

Jessica Wallace, of Bear, Del., who will be a senior this fall, is interning with the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth. Wallace will be shadowing a probation officer who works with young people.

She previously had two other internships.  The first was with the Delaware State Police for their Intelligence Division called the D.I.A.C. (Delaware Information and Analysis Center).  This past spring she interned for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its Money Laundering/H.I.D.T.A. Department (high intensity drug trafficking area).

A criminal justice major at La Salle, Wallace is hoping for a career with a federal law enforcement agency, such as the FBI or DEA.

Katherine Skira, of Valley Stream, NY, is interning at the Support Center for Child Advocates in Philadelphia.  The center arranges for and provides pro bono legal services for abused and neglected children. Its 300-plus volunteer lawyers are contacted by judges, prosecutors, and hospitals when the interests of children are neglected.

“I have been working on different legislation and policy projects having to do with improving services such as those for domestic and child abuse, as well as education issues,” said Skira, a junior double major in psychology and sociology. “I will also be going on court or house visits with the attorneys here to learn more about how the legal system works, particularly in situations dealing with children.”

“I am very interested in public service for those who have little to no control over their environments and circumstances, such as children,” said Skira. “Child Advocates is a great place to learn about how some of the most vulnerable members of the community are assisted and placed in better situations.”

After graduation, Skira said she would like to go to graduate school for psychology, and would most likely will work in some form of social work counseling.  “My hope is to work with an organization dealing with children who may be in less than ideal situations such as foster care,” she said.

Katherine Drapcho, of Portsmouth, NH, is interning with the Strafford Rivers Conservancy, a land trust that handles land conservation in Strafford County, New Hampshire. So far, her duties have included updating their website and managing other social media.

She is a double major in Economics and Political Science.

“I’m still undecided about career plans and goals,” she said, “but I'm considering law, or graduate school and volunteer work following graduation.”

“It is vitally important to attract good students to serve in the public sector," said Dr. Michael Dillon, Chair of the University’s Political Science Department. "The James A. Finnegan Public Service Fellowships allow us to get highly qualified students experience in public service each summer.  This year, we have three top-notch students with Finnegan Fellowships, and I have no doubt they will each go on to distinguished careers of service.”

The James A. Finnegan Public Service Fellowship is named after Pennsylvania's former Secretary of the Commonwealth and past president of Philadelphia City Council. The fund established for this program provides fellowships to La Salle students of any major, who will have completed at least 60 credit hours of study by the end of the spring semester, and are interested in pursuing a career in public service.