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1. Where did you intern? Briefly, what does/did your internship entail?
I was an intern for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Veterans Treatment Court in Bloomington, Illinois. The program is one of four specialty courts in McLean County. My work at the VTC consisted of education in various topics including addiction, mental health, and non-adversarial justice systems. I worked alongside the VTC Program Coordinator and assisted in paperwork, communicated with VTC members, and participated in court hearings and staffing.

2. What aspects of your internship do/did you enjoy most? Find most challenging?
What I found most enjoyable about my time at the VTC was how included I was in the work. From the very beginning, I was encouraged to participate and share my thoughts rather than sit back and observe. I felt as though I really was a part of the team which allowed me to feel as though I was making a difference in peoples’ lives. The philosophy behind the McLean County VTC and corresponding specialty courts instilled hope in my potential career field. The VTC did not provide me with many struggles. The only real difficulty was my limited time there. Because legal matters run a long course, I was unable to see the program’s work through to the end. The challenges I faced were from being a student. When it came to balancing my course work with internship responsibilities, there was a learning curve. I had to work extra hard to wisely manage my time at the VTC and at Illinois Wesleyan.

3. How does/did your internship relate to what you have been studying at Illinois Wesleyan?
While at Illinois Wesleyan, I studied political science with a concentration in legal advocacy. My passions are rehabilitative justice and prison reform. Working at the Veteran’s Treatment Court gave me firsthand experience with treatment based, non-adversarial justice systems. I was able to see the theories and philosophies that I had been learning about and advocating for put into practice. The VTC proved to me that new approaches can be successful.

4. Has your internship given you any insight into what you would like to do upon graduating from Illinois Wesleyan?
The Veteran’s Treatment Court helped me to realize that there are a plethora of ways in which a person can work in the legal field. Members of the program included attorneys, probation officers, social workers, veteran mentors, treatment providers, and more. I gained an interest in social work and the housing crisis. This has led me to seek out a career in which I am able to work directly with individuals in need. Additionally, I gained new perspectives and a better understanding of social challenges in the modern world.

5. What advice, if any, would you give to Political Science majors looking for, or even just considering, an internship?
My advice is to think outside the box. A person can only learn so much from doing the same work every other student has done before. The best knowledge comes from those unique organizations working directly within the community. While an internship is great for gaining experience, it should also be viewed as a way to challenge what you know and dive into something new.