Carrie Hutnick
Graduate Student
George Mason University and the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Volunteering at a homeless shelter in high school
Pursued a community-based learning program and undergraduate major in Public and Community Service Studies focused on community building for social change
Working for four years with middle school boys, many connected to the correctional system as a tutor, a research assistant, a grant writer, and a volunteer coordinator / educator
Taking a year to help with family members in need
Working in Baltimore with clients to access social services, many who were coming out of the correctional system
Completing a master's in higher education with a focus in service-learning, working with a court-mandated "nurturing father's program" and teaching service-learning to undergraduates
Working for a service-learning program in Philadelphia and becoming involved in a prison education program that offers college courses to university students and incarcerated students taken together
Pursuing a doctorate with a dissertation on shared learning spaces between people incarcerated and university students and learning that occurs together in collaborative movements for social change
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Paul VI High Shool
Paul VI High Shool
Career
Graduate Student
Working on my dissertation, teaching social justice, and doing educational and organizing work with incarcerated people
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Non-Profit Organizations
Learning / Being Challenged
Day to Day
I work on my dissertation and community organizing. I spend time working on applications for grants and funding opportunities for the community or academic work I do. I take time to email or communicate with others on shared projects or community efforts. I grade papers or work on syllabi for future courses, and I spend a significant amount of time reading materials for my dissertation and community organizing work.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Working in community-based change requires relationships with others who have similar values. Look for those folks in multiple settings from people working in non-profits, people receiving the services of non-profits, academics, activists, students, media, etc. The more community you build and relationships you have with people from different spaces, the "bigger" work you will be able to do and the more informed it will be. Authentic networks also help you move more organically between jobs.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"The social change you work for is too idealistic, or those you want to include in dialogue will never be changed, they are beyond learning or redemption. Others aren't worth engaging because they are ignorant or incapable of doing the work themselves. "
