Meet: Riah Engel

Why did you select your majors?
My future career goals are to contribute positively to society by helping foster meaningful change in the lives of individuals who have found themselves entangled in the criminal justice system. I want to provide individuals with an opportunity for personal growth and rehabilitation. My goal is to help introduce innovative approaches, such as art-based therapy, as a means of emotional healing and personal growth. My future career goal as a psychologist in a prison is to advocate for positive change, working to create an environment that encourages personal reflection, growth, and essential life skills to be able to reintegrate into society as productive and responsible citizens.

Do you have research experience (UCARE or other)?
I am a research assistant for two labs in the Department of Psychology at UNL. The Biobehavioral Substance Mechanisms and Related Treatments Lab, also known as B-SMART, focuses on substance abuse and also looks at prevention, intervention, and treatment approaches. Recently, with the B-SMART lab, I presented an academic poster at the 71st Annual Nebraska Symposium on Motivation: Legal Judgement and the Motivation for Justice. The poster looked at restorative justice and the impact on offenders' experiences of empathic concern.

The Law and Policy Lab I am part of is interested in how the law intervenes in decision-making. This lab is giving me opportunities to research human subjects using psychological theories to investigate areas of law and policy.

What are you involved in on campus or in the community?
I volunteer weekly with a non-profit organization called Lincoln Animal Ambassadors. Their mission is to prevent animal homelessness in the community. They offer a low-cost spay/neuter program for those needing financial assistance. They also offer a pet food bank to provide temporary assistance to people for their pets.