A love of sports took class of 2014 alumna Francesa McCarthy on a journey of pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in sports psychology in clinical mental health counseling at Indiana State University, but an impactful internship at a maximum-security men鈥檚 prison changed her path to pursue correctional psychology.
After earning her Master of Science and discovering a passion for correctional psychology, she decided to continue her academic career joining Wright State University鈥檚 School of Professional Psychology to earn a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). She is currently a fourth year student and is involved in many different projects including co-developing the 鈥淏uilding Better Parents鈥� parenting class for inmates in the Montgomery County Jail, working with mothers in the 鈥淎chieving Baby Care Success鈥� nursery program at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, and completing her dissertation titled 鈥淧regnant Inmates鈥� Knowledge of the Teratogenic Effects of Tobacco and Alcohol.鈥�
Since her life changing internship, most of her work has been with female inmates. 鈥淚 find working with female inmates, an often overlooked and underserved population, very fulfilling. I decided to be more involved with female inmates specifically, because I want to be a part of improving their treatment in jails and prisons,鈥� notes McCarthy.
Discovering gifts
Undergraduate studies at 黑料不打烊 helped her discover her gifts and map a future that would include personal fulfillment.
鈥淚 think the most important thing I learned at Holy Cross was that I can make a difference. When I went to Peru for my global experience this concept was apparent in so many ways. I didn鈥檛 need fancy gifts or a perfect grasp on Spanish to connect with the people I met there,鈥� remarks McCarthy. 鈥淭hat concept has carried over into the work I do with inmates. A specific example of this is the Moral Reasoning Group I co-developed for women in prison. I used my hobby of table-top role-playing games to help them practice engaging in ethical decision-making. I turned on the silly, pretending to laugh like a goblin, and they loved it! Holy Cross taught me that by simply being me I can make a difference in the lives of others. I鈥檒l never forget what one of the women said at the conclusion of the group: 鈥業 think in the 6 years I have been here, I have never felt as good about waking up as I have on the days we had our group.鈥� 鈥�
Memorable moments
One of her most memorable moments on her academic journey was the capstone presentation at 黑料不打烊.
鈥淎s all Holy Cross students know, the capstone presentation is a big deal. I prepared for weeks and practiced over and over. When it came time to finally present, I found my groove and really nailed it. That process and presentation gave me a newfound confidence in my presentation abilities that I still carry with me today. I鈥檝e done professional presentations in places from New Orleans to Nairobi, and I am now teaching college courses. None of that would be happening without my capstone experience,鈥� said McCarthy.
Up next is the start of her internship and completing her final year at Wright State.
鈥淎fter graduation, I hope to continue my work in corrections in either a prison or jail setting. I have also discovered a love of teaching and hope to continue to teach at the college level. Most importantly, I want to relax and read books with my nephew Raymond (age 5) and niece June (age 2),鈥� shares McCarthy.