UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sarah Stein, a fourth-year student triple majoring in psychology, criminology, and labor and human resources at Penn State, spent the summer applying her studies to an internship with Amazon near her hometown of Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

As an Amazon workplace health and safety specialist intern, Stein worked in a delivery center with the safety and human resources team. There, she monitored employee behavior, conducted daily safety audits, ensured protocol compliance and managed incident reports.

Stein’s experience was made possible with support from the Virginia Todd Chapel Executive Internship Program in the College of the Liberal Arts, which provides $5,000 to students completing top-level career development opportunities in the private sector.

Stein received an additional $1,000 from the Paterno Fellows Program, all of which helped her focus her time solely on her internship experience without stressing over the costs of living.

“It really helped me to not have to worry about living expenses while at my internship,” Stein said. “That has been really nice about the College of the Liberal Arts. I haven't heard of any of my friends getting that kind of experience or getting that enrichment funding in other colleges.”

Stein was able to directly apply the skills she learned in her LHR 429: Conducting Workplace Investigations course, gaining valuable hands-on experience in the process. The internship provided her with practical insights and real-world applications of the human resources theories and concepts she studied in her coursework.

“I was able to really see the culture at Amazon, too, which I thought was really helpful,” said Stein when reflecting on her experience. “I think interning somewhere helps you understand what you like and what you don't like in a company. What I learned from this experience was culture is big to me. I want a company that has a really healthy culture, really healthy work environment and is very team-oriented.”

Stein’s summer internship project focused on safety sentiment among workers and implementing monthly meetings between workers and leadership to improve communication and address training needs. Through this process, Stein said, she was able to help make a greater impact on the culture of the company, lessening the disconnect between each tier of employees.

In addition to being a Chapel Intern and Paterno Fellow, Stein has a resume full of activities, including being a Schreyer Scholar, secretary of It's On Us, and a member of Eclipse and Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology. 

As a research assistant this fall for Assistant Professor of Public Policy Nicole Kreisberg, Stein is applying the analytical and research skills she learned during her internship. Kreisberg’s research focuses on power dynamics between couples with F1/F2 visas in the United States. Stein learned about the research opportunity through Joy Vincent-Killian, cocurricular coordinator for the Criminal Justice Research Center.

To fulfill her graduation requirements as an honors student, Stein must complete her honors thesis. Stein began researching the topic for her thesis during her third year, when she met her thesis adviser, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology David Ramey. Ramey has researched subjects over the years related to Stein’s thesis topic — the correlation between delinquency and learning disabilities. 

“I'm also investigating how gender interacts with delinquency and learning disabilities,” Stein said. “I'm working with Dr. Ramey for that. He had done similar work with ADHD and school suspensions.”

As a Restorative Reporting Center counselor for juveniles on house arrest and probation, Stein said, she has personally seen her thesis topic in action. Through this project and her future career, she said she hopes to help create rehabilitation strategies for incarcerated individuals rather than straight punishments. 

Following graduation in the spring, Stein hopes to work for a few years as a human resources professional to pay off student loans before pursuing graduate studies in forensic psychology, a field she’s particularly passionate about.

“I am just really thankful for where I am right now,” Stein said. “I feel like I am getting good experiences that I am enjoying and are related to the different interests I have."

This is one in a series of stories about 28 Liberal Arts students who are participating in Chapel Executive Internships this summer. Students interested in applying for a Chapel Executive Internship for spring should apply by the Dec. 1 deadline through the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network.