First year law student Evelyn Medina will be working at Alliance for Children’s Rights, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles. She will be working with the Benefits Program helping caregivers secure funds to ensure that families are awarded adequate monies. Additionally, she will be working with the Foster Care Adoptions Program that handles court hearing and petitions for families that are transitioning from foster care to permanent adoption. At the end of the summer, she will participate in the Adoption Day event the Alliance holds twice a year.
Medina is excited about her position. She stated, “the Alliance promotes justice, opportunity, and their primary goal is to find suitable homes, healthcare, and stability for foster children. What I find especially exciting about working with Alliance is that the organization focuses on public policy. As a law student, that is an important aspect of my career goals. In addition, the Alliance has staff attorneys with various backgrounds from civil rights litigation to juvenile delinquency. It is an organization that I see myself partnering up with for years to come.”
She is also looking forward to returning to her hometown Los Angeles. She hopes to practice there after she completes law school and passes the California Bar Examination. Medina believes that this internship will help her expand her network and develop relationships. So far, she has been impressed with the welcome she received from her employer. Medina noted that “the staff attorneys have been welcoming and some have expressed their desire to mentor, which is an invaluable tool for a law student.”
Medina is thankful for the help she received from her law school in finding this position and applying for it. When asked about the assistance she received, she stated, “First, career services held a resume workshop, presented by Assistant Dean for Career Services Ms. Beverly Bracker. Second, Career Services advised of Southern California Public Interest/Public Sector Career Day held on February 8th at UCLA School of Law. Prior to attending the Career Day event, our Career Service department held an interview skills workshop which proved beneficial. An interactive mock interview with Associate Director of Career Services Mr. Randy Reliford was the best take-away from that workshop because it helped me realize what areas to polish in preparation for my interviews. The Career Services Office is constantly notifying students of the opportunities in different areas of law, and it was due to their diligence that I became aware of the various opportunities available for law students seeking to intern over the summer.”
Medina has some great advice for students who are seeking work at a non-profit. “A great starting point is researching the area a law that is of particular interest and what role you envision yourself fulfilling in the greater scheme of things. I researched organizations in areas of domestic law, criminal law and immigration. In addition, I reviewed the staff attorneys’ profiles to view their areas of interest and looked for commonalities to my areas of interest.” She also advocates for researching your intended employer to find if there are Thomas Jefferson School of Law Alumni working there.
