Kerri Socha: Studying the Impacts of Diversity
Kerri Socha – a senior social work major who is minoring in Spanish – always has been interested in the effects of cultural diversity within populations.
For her internship experience, Kerri had the opportunity to work at the Milton Hershey School, which is a cost-free, private, coeducational home and school for children from families of low income, limited resources, and social need. The school draws a broad cross-section of the diverse cultures that comprise the U.S. population.
During her time at the school, Kerri was impressed by the wide cultural diversity of students as compared to other schools in central Pennsylvania. Curious about how the school’s administration and staff regularly meet the cultural needs of such a diverse student body, Kerri decided to make the school the subject of her research for her honors in the discipline project. During her study, Kerri learned much and even developed program recommendations that Milton Hershey School could implement to better meet its students' cultural needs.
In the future, Kerri hopes to do more research with the knowledge that she has gained through this experience. “Culture is something that varies between people and around the world,” Kerri explains. “It is very important to learn about various cultures – how to treat people and how to meet their needs. Through the research I have done, I have come closer to understanding the culture of Milton Hershey School students and have hopefully helped to improve their lives.”
Project Title: "Meeting the Needs of Milton Hershey School (MHS) Students"
Date: Scholarship and Creative Arts Day 2008 – Tuesday, April 22
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Susan Mapp
Kerri is one of several student scholars from Elizabethtown’s Department of Social Work who will present during Scholarship and Creative Arts Day 2008. A full schedule of this and other events featuring the creativity and scholarship of Elizabethtown students will be available in mid-April on the Scholarship and Creative Arts Day webpage.
