The group heard from experts about human trafficking as a national and international crime (Francesca LaGuardia, Department of Justice Studies and Debra Jones, International Organization for Adolescents), they met with survivors of trafficking and connected with Jasmine Ostrow, Atlantic County Prosecutor鈥檚 Office and Joseph Remy, National White-Collar Crime Center. Detective Sergeant Richard Hershey from the New Jersey State Police highlighted experiences and challenges with human trafficking cases. To illustrate the differences between the American and Austrian criminal justice system, the group also completed two field trips to the Essex Co. Criminal Court and Northern State Prison.

Group with judge Marysol Rosero, Criminal Trial Judge

International student travel, such as this annual program with the University of Graz is important because it fosters personal growth, global awareness, and career readiness鈥攁ll while enriching academic learning through real-world experience.

鈥淯sually, I wake up around 6:30, grab a quick breakfast and head out. I get here about 20 minutes early,鈥� says Lopez, a commuter from Newark. On this workday, Lopez juggles front desk responsibilities with helping to run an interactive 鈥淢ajor Mystery鈥� event 鈥� 鈥渋t鈥檚 like a murder mystery, but instead you鈥檙e solving which major fits best for you.鈥�

His role, says Lopez, a senior majoring in Communication and Media Studies, is 鈥渁 great opportunity to make money and have a job while also balancing schoolwork.鈥�

惭辞苍迟肠濒补颈谤鈥檚 Commitment and Career Value

Each year, about 2,000 students work in roles across campus 鈥� from IT and financial aid to student services and academic offices 鈥� gaining the kind of experience employers want. With a dedicated employment task force and cross-campus support, 麻豆传媒在线 is redefining how campus jobs connect to growth.

We want students to see campus jobs as real work experience that provides real skills. Our goal is for all students to graduate with at least one experience they can use to launch their career.鈥� 鈥� Assistant Vice Provost Chantelle Wright

That vision is taking shape through , which ensures student employees receive professional development and workplace training. All student workers complete new online coursework 鈥� the only program of its kind in New Jersey higher education.

To see the WORK initiative in action, we followed 麻豆传媒在线 students who are gaining experience that goes far beyond a paycheck.

Building Campus Community

Gwen Dang is the Community Resilience Intern with the University Police Department, coordinating campus events, outreach and program support across the 麻豆传媒在线 and Bloomfield campuses. She assists with advocacy, prevention, resource management and research, and evaluates projects. A senior majoring in Justice Studies with double minors in and Child Advocacy, Dang also works as a Special Events student worker, helping set up and manage campus events, including recent Commuter Life programming.

Leading Through Service

Samantha Almonte, a senior Public Health major, builds community connections and organizes service initiatives as a Community Partnerships intern for the Bonner Leader Program. She takes charge of Alternative Spring Break planning and leads large campus events. The position, 鈥渉as empowered me to sharpen my event planning abilities,鈥� she says.

Mateo Llano, a sophomore majoring in Public Health with a concentration in Health Education, Promotion and Advocacy, brings together students for campus-wide drives and cultural events as an Engagement Intern in the Bonner Leader Program, His work extends to toy, Thanksgiving and winter clothing collections and he credits the internship with teaching him teamwork, leadership and engaging with nonprofits. 鈥淭he most important skill I have learned is communication, especially in team settings.鈥�

Forging Career Paths

Ieema Dinnall, a junior in Business Administration, promotes career events and helps students connect with employers as part of her job as a student assistant in the Office for Experiential Education and Career Connections. She plays an important role in raising the post-graduation survey responses through outreach and commitment to connecting with students. She is also working to identify top hiring employers in the tristate area. 鈥淭hese skills that I鈥檓 learning will help me in the long run,鈥� Dinnall says, including networking and collecting data. 鈥淎pproving employers has helped me practice evaluating credibility and risk.鈥�

Research and Outcomes

Research confirms that college jobs matter. Sociology Assistant Professor Daniel Douglas, who has studied how students balance work and school, emphasizes that working while in college significantly shapes students鈥� post-graduation opportunities.

鈥淏alancing a job with college can boost your future earnings, especially if you finish your degree,鈥� he explains.

As co-author of a Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center paper on the, Douglas identifies several reasons for this trend. One key reason is that students who work during college gain valuable skills highly regarded by future employers. 鈥淲orking while enrolled demonstrates both the credential of a degree and the employment history that employers value.鈥�

National Recognition聽

惭辞苍迟肠濒补颈谤鈥檚 performance in the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 Best U.S. Colleges rankings can be traced to the financial success of recent graduates. Rather than just traditional metrics, these rankings emphasize how well colleges boost their graduates鈥� salaries compared to similar schools. A typical 麻豆传媒在线 graduate can expect an average of $34,013 added to their annual salary. Compared against the institution鈥檚 average net price, this means most graduates recoup their investment in just one year and seven months.

Leveling Up with the WORK Course

惭辞苍迟肠濒补颈谤鈥檚 . Once students are officially onboarded as campus employees, they鈥檙e automatically enrolled in the course. It鈥檚 divided into two parts 鈥� the first modules are for new employees, while the later modules focus on professional skills, including leveraging work experience, building supervisor relationships and managing difficult conversations.

鈥淐ompared to other universities, I believe we stand out because many institutions are still working on how student employment fits into student success,鈥� Wright says. 鈥溌槎勾皆谙� has built a community around it. To my knowledge, no other New Jersey university has a dedicated online course open to all students regardless of whether they have a job yet.鈥�

Story by Marilyn Joyce Lehren

Juveniles facing life enter prison at young ages. Years later upon release, they reconnect with the family who last saw them as kids. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e sort of treated as children as opposed to grown men and that can lead to some disconnect. It can lead to frustration,鈥� said Dr. Daftary-Kapur.

In some corrections systems, education and rehabilitation aren’t priorities for people serving life sentences, said Dr. Daftary-Kapur. Lack of access to these supportive programs makes adjusting to regular life more difficult.

Written by Vivvy Gundani

According to Dr. Williams, removing funding from these organizations’ will not only lead to their collapse, it will also take away the little bit of trust these organizations helped to build with other institutional structures, including local hospitals. 鈥淭his is going to have a colossal effect and all kinds of collateral consequences that I don鈥檛 even think people are really seeing or talking about right now.

Written by Vivvy Gundani

“Solitary or room confinement for children, and even adults, for long, sustained periods of time can lead to depression, it can lead to anxiety,” says Daftary-Kapur.聽 She explains that young people are at a heightened risk for these mental health issues due to their developmental vulnerability.

Written by Vivvy Gundani

Just Justice takes an in-depth look at second chances within the American justice system. Each episode will examine critical topics like wrongful convictions, sentencing reforms, reintegration challenges, and the transformative power of redemption. Through insightful conversations with experts, advocates, crime survivors, and individuals directly affected by the system, Henry aims to shed light on stories of resilience and reform, while calling for systemic changes to create a more just and equitable society.

Whether you are an advocate for change or simply curious about the issues, Just Justice promises to offer a powerful platform for understanding the importance of second chances in transforming lives and communities.

When asked why the podcast is particularly relevant now, Henry shared, “The time is ripe to talk about second chances. Second look legislation is being passed around the country… there is growing momentum to reconsider our expensive and overly punitive punishment system that particularly disfavors poor people and people of color.”

In the first episode of Just Justice, Henry speaks with Dr. Tarika Daftary-Kapur, a colleague and professor in Justice Studies, about the fate of juveniles sentenced to life without parole. Dr. Daftary-Kapur鈥檚 research explores the consequences of these harsh sentences, the developmental challenges children face, and the social science research that demonstrates their capacity for rehabilitation. The episode discusses the potential for reform and second chances for juveniles sentenced to life.

In a later episode, Henry speaks with Bobby Bostic, who was sentenced to 241 years in prison at age 16 for an armed robbery in Missouri, despite no one being seriously injured. Bobby shares his journey of transformation during 29 years of incarceration, where he pursued education, authored eight books, and ultimately found hope.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to explain how a man can find hope in a dark, negative environment such as prison, but everyday I found inspiration,鈥� Bostic says in the podcast. 鈥淓veryday I found hope. And I lived on that and that鈥檚 what got me through.鈥�

Bostic鈥檚 story is a compelling listen and highlights resilience, redemption, and the power of second chances.

The podcast is part of Henry鈥檚 larger mission to challenge the criminal legal system and offer a platform for voices calling for redemption, compassion, and systemic reform. It complements her upcoming book project, which delves even deeper into these issues.

鈥淚 believe that people are more than the worst thing they have ever done and that we do not need to forever punish someone for a singular crime, even a horrible one, without creating opportunities for them to show that they have fundamentally changed,鈥� says Henry. 鈥淎merica is built on stories of redemption and transformation. Second chances are part of that American tradition.鈥�

Join Jessica Henry as she opens the door to these crucial conversations and advocates for a more compassionate and fair justice system. You can find Just Justice on , and all major podcast platforms or you can visit the podcast website for more information.

This project builds on the successful efforts initiated in Fall 2023, where Dr. Kurze and his team began laying the groundwork for enhancing women’s participation in Guinea’s political sphere. Over the summer Dr. Kurze carried out a series of online seminars in preparation for the fall visit. The 2024 program will expand on these efforts, offering a series of comprehensive workshops designed to equip a cohort of 80-100 women with essential skills in negotiation, conflict resolution, resource management, and fundraising strategies.

Participants will also receive training in basic macroeconomic concepts, digital technology skills, and social media literacy. These skills are critical for newly elected representatives and public servants as they navigate the complexities of governance and public administration. The workshops will initially take place in the capital, Conakry, with subsequent sessions planned for various regions, including Maritime Guinea, Middle Guinea, Upper Guinea, and Forest Guinea.

A central element of the program is the “coach the coaches” initiative, where previously trained women leaders will mentor and train other members of their communities. This approach aims to ensure that the benefits of the program are widely disseminated across the country, promoting sustainable capacity building at different administrative levels.

The program addresses the persistent underrepresentation of women in political leadership in Guinea. Despite their proven leadership abilities, Guinean women face significant structural barriers, including discriminatory institutions and limited access to resources. By providing targeted training and resources, the program seeks to overcome these challenges and support women in their development as effective leaders.

La Guin茅enne en Politique (LGP), a non-profit organization uniting female party members from across the political spectrum, will play a pivotal role in this initiative. LGP’s involvement ensures that the program is deeply rooted in Guinea’s political structures and that it contributes meaningfully to the ongoing efforts to promote participatory democracy in the country.

The $25,000 grant will be instrumental in expanding and deepening the initial efforts, allowing the program to reach and inspire more women as they pursue their political careers. This initiative represents a significant step toward achieving greater gender parity in Guinea’s political landscape and empowering women to become influential agents of change.

For more information about this program and to support this initiative reach out to Dr. Kurze’s at kurzea@montclair.edu.

Khizra Qadir is currently interning as a paralegal for the Legal Aid Society where she provides research assistance for comprehensive criminal appellate practice and assists in investigations for post-conviction collateral reviews. She is an aspiring criminal lawyer and plans to attend law school post-graduation.

For Qadir, the separate environments of the University and the Legal Aid Society both prepare her in unique ways for her legal future.

鈥淎s a Justice Studies student, I have taken several courses, such as criminal law and procedure and legal research, that have provided me with a strong foundation to work as a paralegal,鈥� she says.

But the reality of what it means to work in a law firm is something that can only be gained by doing so. After being put in contact with Professor Harold Ferguson, Qadir鈥檚 internship supervisor, Qadir has been able to gain 鈥渁n understanding of the kind of assignments and tasks paralegals do on a day-to-day basis.鈥�

鈥淚 have also been able to gauge my knowledge of criminal law and legal research and am looking forward to learning more about the law and strengthening my skills,鈥� Qadir says.

More than anything, Qadir鈥檚 passion for legal defense has been put to the frontlines: 鈥淭his internship gives me the opportunity to implement the knowledge and skills I have developed to ensure the rights of the vulnerable are protected.鈥�

Read more student intern experiences!

Written by Sarah Ramirez

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Ali Boak, the inaugural Director of the Global Center on Human Trafficking. Ali’s foundational work over the past three years has been instrumental in the Center鈥檚 development. She is now moving on to become the Executive Director of Lifeway. We are grateful for her contributions and wish her the best in her new role. Thank you for your continued support of the Global Center on Human Trafficking. We look forward to new opportunities and successes under Dr. Peterka-Benton鈥檚 leadership.

Professor Henry has served as a public defender and regularly works as a legal commentator. As part of Governor Murphy鈥檚 initiative, she will review clemency applications and provide her insight and recommendations.

The board is the first of its kind in New Jersey and will pursue categorical clemency for prisoners with excessive sentences, victims of domestic or sexual violence and sex trafficking victims who are imprisoned for a committing a crime against their perpetrator, and more.

Read more

Written by Sarah Ramirez