Tina Smith is seeking a career helping rehabilitate prisoners and assist with their reentry into society. She has a BA in Psychology with a concentration in Criminal Justice from Argosy University, maintaining a 3.5 GPA while working full-time. With 28 years of insurance industry experience and communication skills developed through school and visiting her incarcerated brother, she believes she can effectively help prisoners through empathy, leadership, and relationship building. Upon graduating, she aims to obtain a master's degree to further her career goals in corrections.

1. 1 Undergraduate Studies ePortfolio Tina Renee Smith BA in Psychology with a concentration in Criminal Justice 2011

2. Resume Tina Renee Smith 4206 Walnut, Big Spring, Texas 79720 Cell Phone: 254-366-3253 Email: tinarains@yahoo.com Professional Background 28 years of experience in the Insurance industry Worked in Insurance Agencies Worked for Insurance Companies Returned to school in the fall of 2006 Will obtain my BA in Psychology August 20, 2011 Education and Training Argosy University: Online Phoenix, Arizona, USA BA Psychology with a concentration in Criminal Justice Anticipated Graduation Date: August 20, 2011: GPA: 3.50 AIU: Online, Dallas, Texas, USA Business Administration Associates This field of study transferred into the BA program in June of 2007 Academic Honors The National Society of Collegiate Scholars Dean’s List Skills Highlights Excellent written, oral and interpersonal communication skills Thrive on working in a challenging environment Attentive listening skills, ability to empathize, ability to speak clearly and concisely Critical thinking skills Conflict resolution skills, Proficient in the use of computers Proficient with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Power Point Excellent organizational skills Able to handle multiple assignments under high pressure Able to meet strict deadlines Professional Experience National Lloyds Insurance Company Waco, Texas February 2004 to May 2011 Licensing Coordinator Licensed Agents to do business with the company, answered the telephone, updated agents license, handled any changes that needed to be made to an agents file. Completed Buy/Sell agreements between agents. Fortenberry Insurance Agency Waco, Texas November 1994 to February 2004 CSR Handled commercial truck insurance accounts, answered a high volume telephone system, quoted new and renewal accounts for trucking companies. Brad Dixon Insurance Agency Waco, Texas October 1997-November 1999 CSR Handled personal lines accounts, quoted new and renewal business and answered the telephone Gordon Riley Insurance Agency Waco, Texas March 1991 to September 1996 CSR Handled personal line accounts, quoted new and renewal business and answered the telephone References Greg Vanek: CEO, National Lloyds Insurance Company P O Box 2650 Waco, Texas 76702-2650 Phone#: 800-749-6419 Carl D. Kirk: Executive Vice President, National Lloyds Insurance Company P O Box 2650 Waco, Texas 76702-2650 Phone #: 800-749-6419 Nancy Hollinger: 2nd Vice President, National Lloyds Insurance Company P O Box 2650 Waco, Texas 76702-2650 Phone#: 800-749-6419 yahoo.com

3. Personal Statement Personal Statement Tina Renee Smith From a very young age, I have been a very talkative and inquisitive person. I have never met a stranger and have always been able to talk to anyone about anything and listen to what other people are saying to me with great interest. I feel the more questions you can ask about a subject, the better off you are. If I did or do not know all that I want to about a subject, I am never afraid to ask more questions. As the old saying goes, “The only way to learn is to ask questions.” This trait is one that has helped me in many ways throughout my life. I went through most of my life doing the things that one is expected to do. I got married, had children, raised the children, and worked. At the age of 40, when the children were almost raised, I stepped back and took a look at my life to see if it was going in the direction I wanted it to and if I was optimally using all of my skills and abilities. My decision was that I could be doing more with my life. At about the same time that I was pondering this decision, we had a tragic event that occur in our family that made me see that I wanted to be useful in helping those that have had the misfortune of becoming a part of the Judicial System. I knew that the only way to accomplish this was to get the proper education. This made my decision to return to school that much easier to make. Going to school, at my age, has not been easy. While holding down a full time job, I began taking online classes. This required not only discipline, but a lot of courage. The online classes, the new programs, and uploading the assignments were something that I had never done before. Being the age that I was when I started school, I feel it was an advantage to me. I had many years of life and work experience to base my papers and assignments on. I feel a great accomplishment at this point in my education, that I have almost completed it and maintained a 3.50 or higher GPA throughout. In my time of attending school, I have dealt with the effects of our tragic event in the family and becoming a newly married person. So my plate has been full, but I have to say that my education has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done, besides the raising of my two children. I have always prided myself for being a person that has many special characteristics. I am a person that is honest and expects others to always be honest with me. Not that people are always honest, but I hope my actions can somehow instill honesty in them. I am a person that takes great pride in what ever job or assignment I am doing. It can be a little thing such as washing dishes, a medium task such as writing a paper for school, or a large task such as helping someone to put their life back together. When I am working for an employer, I am dedicated and devoted to that employer. Each day that I am to be at work I am there, unless I absolutely cannot make it in. The 8 hours or so that I am at work I dedicate myself to the job at hand. I am a very organized person, almost to a fault. I want everything in its place and everything done that can be done at the end of the day. When I first began going back to school it was with the intentions of helping abused women escape their abusers and to move forward with the lives. As my life and my school progressed, my interest changed to the psychological effects of being sent to prison, living in prison, and the re-entry into the real world. There are many people that should be in prison and should stay in prison for the rest of their lives, but they have to have someone to help them deal with living in these conditions. Those that are not going to spend their lives in prison need help and guidance on how to be rehabilitated and how to live in the real world, crime free. Since I have inside experience with the psychological effects of prison on the person serving time and the family, I feel that my empathy and sympathy will help them in all of the above mentioned areas. My skills that I feel will make me a good candidate for this type of job are that I can be a good leader, a good team player, and am able to communicate well with others. If put in a leadership position, I feel that I could be fair to all that worked under me and could delegate the jobs that needed to be done to the people that possess the best skills for the task at hand. If in a position that is not of leadership, I feel I can convey my skills to the leader and have confidence that they will place me in that role and that I will be able to achieve it. Communication is the key to any successful relationship. Whether it be family, friends, co-workers, or the people you are trying to help. In a situation of working with prisoners, I feel communication is an asset. You are going to be dealing with people on a day to day basis that are totally different from you. You need to know how to communicate to them that you do not feel you are any different than them and that you are totally interested in what they are saying and that the only thing on your mind is the best way to help them. I have had some experience in this. My brother is in prison and had asked me if I would come visit his cell mate because he had no one at the time to visit him. I did so as I would hope someone would do the same for my brother. Our conversation and communication from the first visit to the last was that of total interest in what each was going through. In conclusion, I feel that I would be an asset to any company that chooses to hire me. My life experiences, my education, and my eagerness to make our societies better places to live by rehabilitating our prisoners, has given me the drive I need to move forward with a rewarding career in this field.

4. Reflection Argosy University Decision to begin school Years attending school Knowledge Gained

6. Knowledge of foundations of the field

7. Communication Skills: Oral and Written

8. Research Skills

9. Ethics & Diversity Awareness

10. My Future in Learning Work experience Returning to obtain a Masters degree

11. Contact Me Thank you for viewing my ePortfolio. For further information, please contact me at the e-mail address below. tinarains@yahoo.com