Translator and Interpreter builds bridges using communication skills

Administrative Services offers a variety of career choices at the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) including finance, purchasing, administration, staff development and victim services. This category also includes the department's team of translators and interpreters. Estela Finn has been a team member since 2007. She said she has had other job opportunities come her way, but interpreting and translating information for the people living in correctional facilities is something she enjoys.

"I truly believe I make a difference with the work I perform," said Finn. "I am a channel for understanding between our teammates and incarcerated individuals."

Finn works at three facilities in Omaha. The Omaha Correctional Center, Community Correctional Center - Omaha, and the Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility. She said there are many things she's learned in her time with NDCS, but the most important one has been to not jump to conclusions right away.

"I believe what I really do is build bridges of communication between people," Finn said. "I help people understand each other. A lot of frustration and conflict is avoided when one person is able to understand another."

A hardworking teammate, Finn has also been called upon to help translate brochures, website material and other documents for the department to make information more available to Spanish-speaking individuals. She was key in helping the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency translate emergency information into Spanish for victims of the 2019 flood disaster in Nebraska.

"My favorite thing I like about this position is that I feel useful," she said. "I feel I am able to contribute and feel part of the team at NDCS. That makes my job enjoyable."

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Accounting Clerk II gains experience and provides for family while teammate at NDCS

Sometimes a person’s career path can be a simple and straight path forward. Other times, the road winds back and forth before a person finds out where they feel they are meant to be. For Tecumseh State Correctional Institution (TSCI) Accounting Clerk II Annie Othmer, she was ready for a dependable job. “Honestly, I never thought I would work here. But raising a two-year-old on a $9 per hour job was not cutting it. I started looking for something with better benefits and kept on coming back to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) opportunities. I was recruited and asked to apply to work in the office. That is what helped me commit. I just love our TSCI family.”

Six years after accepting the job, Othmer is proud of her growth and contributions at TSCI and NDCS. “I feel like I have become well-rounded and get to help out a lot of different areas of the office. I am proud of the decision I made to come work here. It was very good for me. I have time for my family and I enjoy my line of work.”

Othmer’s day-to-day routine varies. That is another thing she enjoys about her role at TSCI. She assists with inmate accounts, pay, helps with efficiency of the accounting department, tracks and logs different forms and also tracks savings account requests for the incarcerated population. “I will continue to grow at NDCS and I love TSCI. I love the fact that there are so many opportunities here. We have people come back to work here after leaving all the time. We all take care of each other.”

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There are more than 150 job classifications offered at NDCS. Administrative Services includes:

- Accounting / Finance

- Administration

- Business Management

- Communications

- Emergency Preparedness

- Executive Leadership

- Human Resources

- Information Technology

-  Legal

- Prison Industries

- Process Improvement

- Purchasing

- Records Management

- Staff Development

- Support Services

- Victim Services

- Volunteer Services

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