Part of any scholarship experience involves reflecting on development and growth, not only for personal awareness, but also for broader marketability — that is, to know how to sell oneself. It’s important to be able to identify your strengths, or what potential employers sometimes refer to as core competencies, including critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, adaptability, and leadership. This past Monday, Grace Foy from the Vanderbilt Career Center, worked with the Curb Scholars to translate their individual research/intern/summer opportunities into transferable skills. They received resume writing tool kits and discussed how to design an application for success.

Following their discussion with Ms. Foy, the scholars watched the Ava DuVernay documentary 13th in preparation for a writing exchange with some Tennessee death row ‘insiders’. As they watched, one couldn’t help but think about the types of opportunities the Curb Scholars are working towards versus the opportunities available to anyone swept up into the US Criminal Justice System. The scholars were encouraged to let the knowledge they gained from watching 13th inform their future work with the insiders (a word those incarcerated have chosen as their preferred term for referring to themselves).

Written by Joshua Moore
Posted on September 18, 2019