It's crazy to think that I have now wrapped up week four of the internship and am officially halfway done. Time has been absolutely flying by and I cannot process that we're already at this point. I feel like this week was the first time I felt settled into the role. Even as I got new research assignments on topics I was unfamiliar with, I finally trusted myself enough to know that I would be able to figure it out. That was such a refreshing feeling and shows that I have already gotten so much out of this experience.
Realizing that I'm halfway, I am also trying to be much more intentional about how I spend my last few weeks. Between starting remotely and the smog week where everyone stayed at home, I have not been able to go into the office as much as I had hoped. Because of that, I need to be more proactive about reaching out to the attorneys and talking to them about their experiences. I have so many questions about impact litigation, PPFA specifically, general law school things, and more. I want to make sure that these last few weeks I take the time to meet with everyone on the team one-on-one to hear more about their experiences and thoughts. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming, and I know I will only be doing myself a disservice if I do not take advantage of this amazing opportunity.
On that note, this week definitely has me thinking a lot about professional development. One of the intern supervisors has been having some really thoughtful conversations with us about impact litigation and the trade-offs that are made in each job. Additionally, we had an intern-specific session on direct services work where one of the PPFA attorneys and a former colleague of hers from Bronx Defenders spoke to us about their experiences doing legal aid. I have no real experience with this area of the law, and it was interesting both to hear about the type of work they were doing but also about the differences in culture between direct services and impact litigation.
I am so grateful for events like this as they have really given me a lot to think about for the future. I went into this summer passionate about reproductive rights impact litigation but also with an open mind about what I might enjoy or dislike. Overall, I have loved many parts of this internship. The team is absolutely fantastic, it's great to work in a place where everyone is so devoted to these causes I care about, and I have been able to learn so much. However, I also have a lot of questions about pace of work, day-to-day experiences, and general culture. These questions are both ones I need to ask myself with regards to what I want, but also ones that I need to answer by gaining other experiences. In many ways, this is the ideal internship - I am reaffirming that I could see myself doing this work for a career while also getting a better idea of other questions I want to answer before making this decision. I definitely need to put some more thought into all of this, and look forward to talking more with the other PPFA attorneys about how they went about making these decisions.
Finally, it has also been so great to be in New York City now that the weather has cleared up. I am currently living in a sublet by Lincoln Center, which has been really fun. It may not be the most exciting part of town, but I have enjoyed it immensely - especially as I have so many close friends nearby. This past weekend, I caught up with a friend in Madison Square Park, visited the Met with another friend, and went to a housewarming party for one of my friends who lives near here. I then went on Sunday down to the East Village for Mexican food and a movie. There is so much to do in this city and it has been great to explore all different neighborhoods while visiting friends. Looking forward to this long weekend as well as I have family in town!
These are some fireworks I saw from my apartment a couple nights ago! No idea what they were for but it was a very fun surprise.
I took this photo while at the Met. They have a gorgeous Frank Lloyd Wright room there, and when reading the description I noted a reference to Peoria, Illinois. That is where my parents currently live so I couldn't resist taking a photo of the description for them!
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