By Michael Foster-Sanders/campus editor

Instructor lands job with governor’s office to aid inmates

A NE Campus government adjunct instructor was chosen by the governor to be on a task force that would help inmates learn skills to help them find jobs.

Vanessa Steinkamp was chosen by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to be on the Academic Credit and Industry Recognition Task Force.

“I had a couple friends who knew about the position, and they brought it to my attention,” she said. “It sounded like something I would be interested in.”

Being picked for a task force is no easy task. Steinkamp said she was happy when receiving the news she was one of the five members.

“I felt incredible,” she said. “Besides the honor of the appointment, it’s really exciting to being able to work towards something beneficial for those who have been incarcerated and give them hope whenever they get out of prison.”

When helping incarcerated people develop technical skills, Steinkamp said her background might help her during her time with the task force.

“I come from an educational standpoint,” she said. “Normally, I have engaged with children on the front end whose parents have never been to college or had steady jobs. So, when you see something grab a student’s attention whether it be a skill or a piece of content, this is taking that application, applying to the industrial field and the prison system.”

Steinkamp, a member of Rotary International, received a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University, a Master of Science in education from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts in government and politics from the University of Virginia.

She doesn’t know if the position will affect her teaching, but she spoke about taking the experience and using it to learn about the prison.

“I would be learning about the prison system, incarceration and various mechanisms you can use to reduce the recidivism rate,” she said.

Steinkamp said her example could be a lesson to students.

“I want students to know to don’t be afraid to dream big because you never know where you’re going to land,” she said.