On March 18, students in Dr. Etsuko Hoshino-Browne’s PSYCH 401 Honors Seminar: Critical Thinking in Psychology visited Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County to learn about the organization’s sustainability and social justice programs.

During a tour of the facility, students learned about the Goodwill reentry program for previously incarcerated individuals, people with mental or physical disabilities, and those who desire to return to the workforce. In the warehouse section, the group witnessed the sorting of donated goods and the e-commerce process as well as learning about Goodwill’s new initiative for recycling donated glasses by pulverizing them to create sand which can be used for construction.

“I learned that Goodwill is not just about redistributing, upcycling, or recycling donated items, but about helping people rebuild their lives through programs such as job training, career support, and resources for those facing barriers to employment,” said Milan Furbush, a senior Psychology major.

“These psychology students will be working in the behavioral health field or in the criminal justice system in a few years as a social worker, a clinical mental health therapist, a family therapist, an applied behavioral analyst, or a behavioral health technician,” explained Hoshino-Browne.

“For them to learn that there is an organization dedicated to social justice that can help and support homelessness, post-incarceration job search and job training, and donated goods' environmental impact was very worthwhile,” she said. “They could use what they learned from this field trip in their future job to help their clients and cases.”