SUMMER
Internship
My time in Rome led Dr. McCloskey to offer me an internship working under her over the summer. This meant joining an ongoing project she was collaborating on with one of her graduate students, researching how disability violence is defined in UN treaty bodies and special procedures. This work landed me spots in UNHCR conferences, and exposed me to a world I thought I would never get a foot into. Though this internship I was able to conduct legal research (rulings of regional human rights mechanisms, jurisprudence of UN treaty bodies, national court decisions) to support the recognition of persons with disabilities as a “particular social group” at risk of persecution under international refugee law. We created more Google Spreadsheets than the human brain can comprehend. Though the work at times felt menial, looking at it as a whole is very impactful.
New beginnings
Over the Summer I also wrapped up my role as a Peer Adviser, hoping to focus on my Writing Tutor position for senior year. However, I received word in August that the Writing Center would cease to exist given funding cuts to UW Social Science departments. Luckily, I had anticipated this might be the case, and had devoted much time through spring and summer applying to more law firm/legal intern positions. I had a couple of interviews over the summer, and one particular interview in mid-August that I felt particularly good about. When I went in person to interview in their downtown Seattle office, I took this photo. I was so surprised I had the chance to interview in such a fancy building with a fancy lobby. In September, I got a phone call while home in Evanston, and found out that I had landed the job. Ecstatic does not begin to describe the feeling. I had FINALLY gotten a law firm job, as a paralegal in downtown Seattle at a criminal defense law firm! Shortly before beginning my last year of undergraduate, I had gotten my dream position.
