Jenna DiCostanzo '08 of Callicoon, N.Y., in Sullivan County, has been recognized by the New York State Assembly as a "distinguished intern" for the policy analysis paper she wrote about "safe harbor" legislation for sexually exploited youth.

A student in Cornell's College of Human Ecology, DiCostanzo was one of eight finalists whose papers were chosen for publication in the Assembly's "2008 Distinguished Intern Reports."

DiCostanzo was an intern in Cornell's Capital Semester program last spring in the office of Assemblyman William Scarborough (D-29th Dist.) when she wrote a report that analyzed Assembly Bill A5258-A: A Safe Harbor for Exploited Youth. Bill A5258-A would decriminalize commercially sexually exploited youth in an effort to address discrepancies in state law. If the legislation were passed, for example, youth prostitutes would be declared "persons in need of supervision" instead of juvenile delinquents.

For information about New York State Assembly internships, visit http://assembly.state.ny.us/internship/.