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1. Where did you intern? Briefly, what does/did your internship entail? 
At the McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office under the Juvenile division, I completed 160+ hours of work in clerical and courtroom settings, including preparing intake packets, drafting motions, plea agreements, and charges, conducting legal research, pulling dockets, filing, and observing hearings. I primarily worked under the supervision of the Juvenile Legal Assistant, aiding in both delinquency and abuse case work.

2. What aspects of your internship do/did you enjoy most? Find most challenging? 
I enjoyed observing the family court hearings, because I was able to review the case notes beforehand, take notes, and ask questions to the attorney after. The most challenging aspect was just differentiating between different court records and learning to draft various kinds of paperwork.

3. How does/did your internship relate to what you have been studying at Illinois Wesleyan? 
With Pre-Law Advocacy and Psychology minors, I have learned about adverse childhood experiences, social determinants of health, food deserts, and redlining, all of which were present phenomena in the everyday lives of clients that were involved with the juvenile justice system. In the advocacy minor, you read Evicted by Matthew Desmond, and much of what he writes about could be seen firsthand during my internship. Being able to apply these terms to real people in the real world directly related to my studies at äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾. 

4. Has your internship given you any insight into what you would like to do upon graduating from Illinois Wesleyan? 
I have always been interested in being an attorney, and being able to witness firsthand what the juvenile branch is like, and conducting policy research on juvenile expungement, allowed me to better understand what daily responsibilities look like for legal professionals and learn about a rather niche area of law. Because of my internship, I would like to learn more about family law and advocacy law in law school. It also allowed me to meet Justice Rochford on her visit to campus as the Gebhardt speaker, who put me in contact with the Lake County Juvenile division for an interview. I used this interview for my policy paper, which I presented via poster at the John Wesley Powell Research Conference. 

5. What advice, if any, would you give to Political Science majors looking for, or even just considering, an internship?
Firstly, go to the Hart Career Center as early as you can! It is never too early to start looking for internships; I completed my first one as a sophomore, and it was thanks to the HCC that I was able to find one so quickly. Secondly, do not be afraid to try new things, and always strive to do your best work, because you never know where you will meet important connections for later in your career. Thirdly, political science internships do not need to look a certain way; while government and legal internships are standard, do not limit yourself to those types exclusively. My current internship is with a nonprofit in town, and I have learned so much and had an amazing experience.