Please join the students, faculty, and staff of the Hope-Western Prison Education Program in welcoming Amy Piescer, who began work last week as HWPEP’s first Operations Coordinator.
Raised in Japan, Amy recently graduated with a Bachelor’s in Social Work and a major in Psychology from Calvin University, where she interned with the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI). This experience provided a broad picture of the work that goes into a higher education program in prison. She also assisted in facilitating the first inside-out class in the history of the program. Ten students from the Calvin Knollcrest campus went to the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility once a week to participate in a class with the CPI students. Amy helped plan CPI’s long-awaited graduation that took place on Monday, May 9th, 2022, when the cohorts of 2020, 2021, and 2022 were honored.
“When I first heard about the Hope-Western Prison Education Program, I was thrilled to see another pair of partnering institutions that believed in the power of education enough to transform the lives of individuals who are incarcerated,” Amy remarked during her interview.
As the Operations Coordinator for HWPEP, Amy will support student success by managing the admissions process and working with instructional staff for the program. She will maintain regular communication with the staff at Muskegon Correctional Facility and plan annual events such as commencement, tours, and events for family and friends. She will also manage the HWPEP office and work with both Hope College and Western Theological Seminary in marketing and external communications for the program.
Welcome Amy!