HUMANITIES Internship SPOTLIGHT | Lia Olive

Lia Olive, a Communication Studies major, spent Spring 2025 interning with the Utah Prison Education Project, where she applied her academic background and lived experience to support access to higher education for incarcerated individuals.

Lia’s passion for educational equity, especially in prison contexts, is personal and powerful. “My internship has allowed me to use my lived experience and my education in the Humanities Department to push the work forward in Higher Education in Prisons,” she shared. She’s taken part in national conferences, spoken on panels, and helped create resources to support students transitioning out of incarceration and into college settings.

"My major has taught me how to critically analyze theories, data, activist work, and numerous amounts of studies and academic articles."

Her coursework in Communication, from Public Speaking to Media Theory, helped Lia build the confidence and professional foundation needed to succeed in this role. She emphasizes that she wouldn’t have been as prepared without those classes, which taught her how to communicate effectively in high-stakes academic and public spaces.

During her internship, Lia collaborated on two resource guides: one tailored to the state of Utah and one specifically for formerly incarcerated students at the University of Utah. She’s also gained career development skills through research collaborations and collectives that emphasize ethical research practices, essential preparation for her next step: a graduate program in Educational Leadership and Policy.

She encourages other students to take advantage of campus resources and not be afraid to ask questions. “Utilize your academic advisors, student success coaches, and mentors,” she said. “Also, prioritizing tasks with your supervisor really helps.”

Lia says she’d absolutely do this internship again and is grateful for a team that’s fully invested in her growth. “I’ve been lucky to intern somewhere where everyone genuinely roots for my success.”