In this internship, advocating for yourself is common here. During my first two weeks here, I had a lot of questions. You know who had to answer my questions? Attorneys and law students. I have to say that the first couple of times I asked questions, I was genuinely nervous. After a while, I just got used to it. We also have a system where you input information in a database. Once you put the information down, you have to put your name as well so anyone looking at your notes later can tell who it is. Before we left for internship, my teachers gave everyone a list on how to be a good intern. Here is the link to the list. I am proud to say that I have done most of them. The only things I haven't done are Tips 2 and 5. The reason for Tip 2 is because we don't have meetings and the reason for Tip 5 is because during orientation we were told that we could dress casually. I work in a small office with at least 10-12 people per day. Everyone knows who I am so far so that is a plus for me.
This internship has taught me a lot of things about the process of law that I would have never thought of. Law is definitely an interesting subject for me. The stuff that I am dealing with here in the California Innocence Project is gruesome, yet a fascinating learning experience. As of right now, I have four fields I could possibly go to college for. These three fields are: Business, Law, Medicine, and Technology. I would say that this internship at the California Innocence Project has strengthened my bonds with law. Hopefully, by the time I reach the end of my internship, I will have decided what career path I want to go on.
I have decided on an internship project that I will be doing. If you go in the CIP's website and view a person's case, you will view a wall of text. I have decided to make a video explaining the Edward Contreras Case. This video will be both educational and fun to watch at the same time. I just need my mentor's approval but I know he will be on board for this. When I am creating my videos, I will need a script or questions. I will also need a good transition between each topic so the viewer will not get confused. By doing this, I can help people understand more about the California Innocence Project and maybe inspire people to work with the California Innocence Project,
Its been 4 days since I started my internship. Right away I can spot the connections between working here and the XONR8 project we did in school, except here, we start from scratch. My job here is long and tedious, but rewarding. This is an experience that few have, and what I am doing here could potentially exonerate a person from prison. I wouldn't say I developed any skills yet, but I certainly enhanced some. Most of my work revolves around a computer and inputting information in a database. Pretty soon we will finish all of the inmates letters and we will move on to other work. I get to my internship fairly easy. My dad drops my brother off at his school and we then drive my internship. The commute doesn't take off too much time off of my dad's schedule so it's a win for him.
Here is a selfie I took during my internship. Its been 4 days since I started my internship. Right away I can spot the connections between working here and the XONR8 project we did in school, except here, we start from scratch. My job here is long and tedious, but rewarding. This is an experience that few have, and what I am doing here could potentially exonerate a person from prison. I wouldn't say I developed any skills yet, but I certainly enhanced some. Most of my work revolves around a computer and inputting information in a database. Pretty soon we will finish all of the inmates letters and we will move on to other work. I get to my internship fairly easy. My dad drops my brother off at his school and we then drive my internship. The commute doesn't take off too much time off of my dad's schedule so it's a win for him.
Before I go in-depth of my first impressions of the California Innocence Project I have to say something first. A week before today, I went to an orientation here at the California Western School of Law. During my orientation, I was told what the interns tasks were going to be. Already I was excited to begin my internship at the California Innocence Project. Fast forward a week, and my expectations have not changed. Working at the California Innocence Project is a blessing because I got to do stuff that most people wouldn't do in their lives. I can't say too much because of the confidentiality agreement, but I will say this. Most of my day involved reviewing people's cases and then making decisions about them. It's daunting though, because you are in charge of a person's life. My mentor, Mike Semanchik, is really open and relaxed with us. Everyone at the California Innocence Project is extremely friendly and treats me like a full grown adult. I already have some ideas I want to do for my internship project but I'm not sure yet. I can't wait to continue my internship.
I have just recently found that I will be interning at the California Innocence Project. The California Innocence Project is a non-profit organization that looks at guilty clients in prison and tries to exonerate them. I decided to intern with them because we had worked with them before in a school project. My experience in that project was inspiring enough for me to apply for an internship position there. When I went to do my interview, I met my potential mentor, Michael Semanchik. When I did the interview with him, he was really chill and relaxed, not something you would expect from lawyers. When I finished the interview, I knew I wanted to become an intern there. A couple days went by and I received confirmation on my internship. I am glad to get this internship and are looking forward to it. Monday, March 9,2015
Unfortunately, I do not have an internship right now. However, I have been taking a lot of steps to ensure that I do not get an internship that I will not regret later. As of now, I have been searching internships that have matched my interests. Some examples are law, medicine,and technology. Because of this, I have emailed various organizations requesting for an internship. Only one has a chance for an internship, which is the California Innocence Project. We worked with the CIP in the first semester, and I thought that was a very fun project. I sent an email with little hope of a chance, but I did get a chance. I received a confirmation email from the HR guy. He told me that we would be in touch soon. That gave me hope, but not enough. There may be a chance this might not work out, so I need backups. My dad and I have been going over potential internships and one that I'm interested in right now, is a pharmaceutical internship. My plans for that is to call around places, such as CVS, or Kaiser, and hope for the best. If that fails, I will continue to contact organizations until I find one that offers internships. |