Briana Coleman, PhD, graduated with a psychology degree from Michigan State in 2015. During her time at MSU, Briana was involved with the Adolescent Diversion Program (ADP) which fueled her to help change the lives of youth heading towards the juvenile justice system. Briana sat down with us to talk about how ADP impacted her life and what advice she would give to students considering getting involved with ADP.
How did the Adolescent Diversion Program impact your life?
ADP helped me to learn more about the things that I was interested in. I think as a psychology undergraduate student, I just knew I wanted to work with youth. But ADP helped me understand what that really meant to work with youth in the community, to see some of the things they were really facing. It helped me think about what my entry points were to the work that I wanted to do.
The ADP staff helped connect me with resources, internships, and even some job opportunities so I could try my hand at a number of different things. During my time as an undergraduate student in ADP, I worked at 3 or 4 organizations in the community with youth, focused on different issues that they were facing. I definitely credit that to my ADP experience.
Did ADP help you figure out your career path?
One of the things that I learned during all my time with the program is that the education system is where a lot of youth were being put into the juvenile justice system. So, for me, I ended up graduating, getting my master's degrees in education and in social work because that's where I saw the entry points were to help impact their lives. And then from there, I grew a big interest in evaluation and policy, so I went on to get a PhD in educational administration. Now I work with organizations and with youth in the research and policy space.
What would you say to someone thinking about ADP?
I will say give it a try. It does sound like a lot, but for me, I found that it sounded like a lot because I knew I would have some aspect of this youth’s life in my hands. But you're going to find that you're very supported, equipped with the skills to build a great relationship with your youth, and that you will be able to support them in the ways they need.
Did you feel supported throughout your time with ADP?
I felt supported not only academically, but I felt supported socially and mentally as well. Being a part of ADP helped me realize that there were other people trying to figure themselves out too. I feel like the instructors, mentors, and the director were all extremely supportive of our own journey. They also plugged us into other opportunities so that we could grow and develop.
Anything else you’d like to add about your time with ADP??
It was a great experience. And it's a family, I feel like we're all very connected. I did the program over 10 years ago, but I feel like we're still connected like a family. We're still able to tap in with each other when we need to.