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So...I am a law student, going into my third and final year of law school. The past two years have been a serious financial struggle for me, however, my needs were always somehow met right in the nick of time. This summer, I was not as favored. I was passed over for the Summer stipends and fellowships I applied for which would have covered my Summer expenses while I complete my unpaid internship.
The most difficult impediment in pursuing my public interest passion is the lack of resources. Unlike most of my colleagues, I have been supporting myself since I was sixteen years old. I do not have any familial support as I lost my mom at the age of five and my grandmother when I was a teenager. I also do not have a spouse or anyone else to financially assist me during my matriculation through law school. I am fully reliant on my student loan reimbursements, which are insufficient to cover the summer months. I am currently renting in D.C. which is essential because the internship site is stressing their strong preference for in-person work this Summer in downtown D.C. At this moment, I am in desperate need of help - the Fellowships and stipends I applied for were the only foreseeable means for me to cover my expenses until the Fall semester. I need to cover my rent and transportation costs, my phone bill and I will cut my groceries down to the bare minimum - I don't mind ramen for the summer months, I'm not picky. Any donations afforded to me will allow me to focus solely on completing my summer internship which is required as a matriculating law student. Please, and thank you in advance to all who will consider donating to a law student in need!
If any of you are interested, you can read about the internship and my passions below.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The fear on my face was no match for the internal terror I was battling as a judge held my life in his hands. If only I could get him to see me—take one look into my eyes, and just maybe, he would act with some level of compassion. At this point, my grandmother had been wrestling with the family court system for six years and had grown exhausted by its unpredictable and convoluted processes. She petitioned the court for full custody of my five siblings and me following the death of our mother. Yet, she came up short time and time again. Would this time be different? The judge could either place us in the care of our grandmother or completely shatter our worlds by sending us off to be separated and raised by strangers. I cringed at the thought and sweat poured as my knees buckled. I was dizzy and nauseated as my anxiety played ping pong in my belly. We were escorted from the courtroom as apparently it was not “healthy” for us to be present as the judge informed our grandmother of his final decision about our futures.
In that moment, I knew I needed to work within the family court system. It was as if I had been asleep all my life and something inside of me woke up that day. I just could not ignore the unction as it seemed to overpower me in every way. I made the decision as a frightened eleven-year-old girl that I would advocate for children the way I desperately needed someone to advocate for me. I needed to become for someone else what that judge failed to be for me that day—a voice that could end my agony. It would be another three years before my grandmother was awarded custody by a different judge, three years of countless trips to family court, each trip instilling a profound sense of purpose in me.
This summer, I have been extended an amazing opportunity to join the Center for Children’s Law and Policy (CCLP). I was careful to narrow my search for prospective internships to those that would allow me to pursue my passion for public interest work and my long-time desire to directly impact children. After searching through hundreds of openings, I was immediately intrigued by the description presented by the CCLP because of their very distinct, deliberate and authentic efforts to provide quality services to aid, support and uplift at-risk youth. The CCLP is a nonprofit organization staffed by lawyers and other juvenile justice professionals who are committed to reforming the juvenile justice system to better support youth. As an intern, I will contribute to their efforts to end dangerous and inhumane practices in juvenile facilities. This position will help to increase my research and writing skills as an aspiring attorney and afford me great opportunities to grow in my knowledge of the inner functionalities of the laws and policies that directly impact youth and what it takes to change those laws and policies in order to better serve our youth. With the CCLP, I will be able to play an active role in utilizing facilities that will guide at-risk youth through processes that transition them into vibrant futures after dealing with the judicial system.
My longstanding and ever-increasing passion to directly impact children stems from my own childhood experiences where I found myself at the mercy of the courts and in dire need for someone to care enough to look past my situation long enough to see me. It was in the midst of those identity-shaping circumstances that I decided to become what I was looking for, an advocate and voice for our nation’s youth, both directly and indirectly. There is nothing more disheartening to me than the misuse of authority that leads to the mistreatment of our youth. My childhood experiences in the child welfare system have made major contributions to the zeal within me for seeing the lives of youth and young adults who find themselves at the mercy of our justice system released, restored, and renewed by it instead of further damaged as a result of encountering it. It is important that leaders in our profession are willing to confront and challenge old ideas and practices so that we can create more positive outcomes for our youth.
My commitment to children and goal to become a family law attorney is demonstrated by my pursuits through law school. This past summer, I served with CitySquare AmeriCorps’ child welfare division, specifically aiding those young adults who were aging out of the foster care system. Currently, I am serving as a student attorney for the Child Welfare Clinic at Howard University School of Law, which has afforded me extensive opportunities to expand my knowledge regarding the Child Welfare System and to experience firsthand advocating for the best interest of families. Finally, I am currently interning for the American Bar Association’s Youth at Risk division, where I am conducting extensive research and helping to write new policies. My goals and the missions of the CCLP, ABA Youth at Risk Division, and AmeriCorps have shared great commonality in that we are working towards one outcome: long-lasting and effective results for positive family outcomes and better futures for children.
The most difficult impediment in pursuing my public interest passion is the lack of resources. Unlike most of my colleagues, I have been supporting myself since I was sixteen years old. I do not have any familial support as I lost my mom at the age of five and my grandmother when I was a teenager. I also do not have a spouse or anyone else to financially assist me during my matriculation through law school. I am fully reliant on my student loan reimbursements, which are insufficient to cover the summer months. I am currently renting in D.C. which is essential because the internship site is stressing their strong preference for in-person work this Summer in downtown D.C. At this moment, I am in desperate need of help - the Fellowships and stipends I applied for were the only foreseeable means for me to cover my expenses until the Fall semester. I need to cover my rent and transportation costs, my phone bill and I will cut my groceries down to the bare minimum - I don't mind ramen for the summer months, I'm not picky. Any donations afforded to me will allow me to focus solely on completing my summer internship which is required as a matriculating law student. Please, and thank you in advance to all who will consider donating to a law student in need!
If any of you are interested, you can read about the internship and my passions below.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The fear on my face was no match for the internal terror I was battling as a judge held my life in his hands. If only I could get him to see me—take one look into my eyes, and just maybe, he would act with some level of compassion. At this point, my grandmother had been wrestling with the family court system for six years and had grown exhausted by its unpredictable and convoluted processes. She petitioned the court for full custody of my five siblings and me following the death of our mother. Yet, she came up short time and time again. Would this time be different? The judge could either place us in the care of our grandmother or completely shatter our worlds by sending us off to be separated and raised by strangers. I cringed at the thought and sweat poured as my knees buckled. I was dizzy and nauseated as my anxiety played ping pong in my belly. We were escorted from the courtroom as apparently it was not “healthy” for us to be present as the judge informed our grandmother of his final decision about our futures.
In that moment, I knew I needed to work within the family court system. It was as if I had been asleep all my life and something inside of me woke up that day. I just could not ignore the unction as it seemed to overpower me in every way. I made the decision as a frightened eleven-year-old girl that I would advocate for children the way I desperately needed someone to advocate for me. I needed to become for someone else what that judge failed to be for me that day—a voice that could end my agony. It would be another three years before my grandmother was awarded custody by a different judge, three years of countless trips to family court, each trip instilling a profound sense of purpose in me.
This summer, I have been extended an amazing opportunity to join the Center for Children’s Law and Policy (CCLP). I was careful to narrow my search for prospective internships to those that would allow me to pursue my passion for public interest work and my long-time desire to directly impact children. After searching through hundreds of openings, I was immediately intrigued by the description presented by the CCLP because of their very distinct, deliberate and authentic efforts to provide quality services to aid, support and uplift at-risk youth. The CCLP is a nonprofit organization staffed by lawyers and other juvenile justice professionals who are committed to reforming the juvenile justice system to better support youth. As an intern, I will contribute to their efforts to end dangerous and inhumane practices in juvenile facilities. This position will help to increase my research and writing skills as an aspiring attorney and afford me great opportunities to grow in my knowledge of the inner functionalities of the laws and policies that directly impact youth and what it takes to change those laws and policies in order to better serve our youth. With the CCLP, I will be able to play an active role in utilizing facilities that will guide at-risk youth through processes that transition them into vibrant futures after dealing with the judicial system.
My longstanding and ever-increasing passion to directly impact children stems from my own childhood experiences where I found myself at the mercy of the courts and in dire need for someone to care enough to look past my situation long enough to see me. It was in the midst of those identity-shaping circumstances that I decided to become what I was looking for, an advocate and voice for our nation’s youth, both directly and indirectly. There is nothing more disheartening to me than the misuse of authority that leads to the mistreatment of our youth. My childhood experiences in the child welfare system have made major contributions to the zeal within me for seeing the lives of youth and young adults who find themselves at the mercy of our justice system released, restored, and renewed by it instead of further damaged as a result of encountering it. It is important that leaders in our profession are willing to confront and challenge old ideas and practices so that we can create more positive outcomes for our youth.
My commitment to children and goal to become a family law attorney is demonstrated by my pursuits through law school. This past summer, I served with CitySquare AmeriCorps’ child welfare division, specifically aiding those young adults who were aging out of the foster care system. Currently, I am serving as a student attorney for the Child Welfare Clinic at Howard University School of Law, which has afforded me extensive opportunities to expand my knowledge regarding the Child Welfare System and to experience firsthand advocating for the best interest of families. Finally, I am currently interning for the American Bar Association’s Youth at Risk division, where I am conducting extensive research and helping to write new policies. My goals and the missions of the CCLP, ABA Youth at Risk Division, and AmeriCorps have shared great commonality in that we are working towards one outcome: long-lasting and effective results for positive family outcomes and better futures for children.