Internship Helps Student Choose Career Path

Criminal justice careers run in Taylor Martin's family. Her grandfather served New Holland as a policeman, and her aunt Charlie Good is a staff member at Magisterial District 02-3-06, working with Judge Jonathan Heisse. Martin, however, does not believe her family members' career choices have influenced her. "I just found (criminal justice) fascinating," said Martin, a member of the Garden Spot High School (GSHS) Class of 2022. In the fall, Martin will follow her dream by majoring in criminal justice at Lancaster Bible College. She credits an internship at Magisterial District 02-3-06 arranged by Jill Hackman, GSHS Pathways to Success career pathways coordinator, with helping her to solidify her future plans.

"(Hackman) came into classes and talked about internships and the great experiences students have," recalled Martin. When she heard there was an internship at the court close to the high school, Martin was interested. She worked with Hackman to complete an internship application in the spring of 2021, and she was able to begin interning in the fall of that year and continue into the spring of 2022. Spending parts of her days at the office on Main Street in New Holland, Martin filed, pulled cases for the next day's docket, and processed electronic payments. "When there were hearings, I could sit in," said Martin, who met police officers and lawyers and learned about their jobs. Heisse arranged for Martin to meet a probation officer, a parole officer, a victim/witness advocate, and a children and youth caseworker. She was able to spend a day shadowing the victim/witness advocate, and she noted an interest in that career path.

Hackman devised the internship partnership after connecting with former Magisterial District 02-3-06 Judge Rodney Hartman several years ago. After Hartman retired, Heisse offered to continue the program. "Judge Heisse gives students a well-rounded internship experience," relayed Hackman. "Student interns ... even have the opportunity to observe court hearings at the Lancaster County Courthouse. Hackman pointed out that Heisse encourages networking with those already working in the criminal justice field. "Through networking, students learn about a number of careers in the criminal justice industry," said Hackman. "Networking proved to be most helpful to Taylor. She now has a clear postsecondary career goal and feels confident as she moves into her college education."

"I learned so much about the court system and the way the government works that I didn't know," said Martin, who noted that she especially enjoyed visiting the court on the criminal block days. During Martin's first semester as an intern, a murder occurred in New Holland, and she followed the case closely. "For the longest time they were investigating ... and then they found the (perpetrator)," said Martin, who witnessed Heisse presiding over the case proceedings held at the Lancaster County Courthouse. The preliminary hearing involved three hours of testimony from professionals, including the coroner and forensics professionals.

Heisse noted that former interns have benefited from their experiences. "One is now a police officer, another is a probation agent, and one became an attorney," he said. "These young kids are doing so well."