I am so grateful for HKS’s Women and Public Policy Program, as I had the most wonderful summer. During my time at Planned Parenthood, I was able to work with some of the kindest, most passionate attorneys I have met. Additionally, this funding allowed me to pursue a second internship this summer at the Department of Justice’s Office of the Associate Attorney General in Washington, DC.
Over the course of the summer, I was able to explore so many potential questions I have for my career – nonprofit vs. government work, litigation vs. leadership, DC vs. New York, and so much more. While I still have many questions yet to answer, these few months helped me make significant progress in figuring out what I want the early stages of my career to look like. As I start thinking about applications for next summer’s internships (sadly these are right around the corner), I know that having both of these experiences in one summer makes me much more prepared and thoughtful about how I want to spend my time. These internships were different in so many regards and I could not imagine approaching next summer without having both of them.
While in DC, I have visited the Supreme Court, the East and West Wings of the White House, and of course spent a lot of time in the Justice Department building. Additionally, I have been able to reconnect with many friends, former colleagues, and mentors from my time in DC prior to law school. It has been so helpful talking with people who I have known since my first long-term job and reflect on my experiences with them. Many of them are attorneys but many of them are not, and hearing all of their different perspectives has been great. I have realized that while other lawyers can provide me the most concrete and directly pertinent career advice, it is still important to listen to others from different backgrounds as all the issues I am passionate about are advocated for across many different approaches.
Additionally, it has simply been really fun to be back in Washington, DC. I have not had the chance to properly return to the city since leaving for law school, and it has been great to be back. I’ve explored museums, gone to a county fair, celebrated my birthday, returned to my favorite restaurants, and went on hikes. I was able to both catch up with my many law school friends who were completing internships in DC and also spend time with the community that I had to leave to start law school. I am so glad that I was able to spend parts of my summer in both New York and Washington, DC as they are both cities that are extremely important to me.
Especially with my interests, the work can be quite overwhelming or isolating at times. Working in public interest can involve many sacrifices and it is easy to lose hope. However, if there is anything I have learned through my own experiences and talking with others, it is that nothing is more important than the people around you. Having a support system that can be there for you, inspire you, and help you get through the tough times can make the celebrations even better. I am lucky to have such communities in two different cities, and even more lucky that WAPPP funding allowed me to spend time with both groups over the course of a single summer.
Soon I will be returning back to Boston to start my second year at HLS. During this fall, I will be doing another internship during the semester – this time with the City of Boston in the Mayor’s Policy team. I am so excited to see the policy side of the law and think this will be a helpful conclusion to the year as it will show me yet another side of the legal field. I will also of course be doing classes, attending events for the Women and Public Policy Program, and much more. I look forward to both sharing about my experiences and hearing from others at WAPPP events, and am glad that this is another community of people I can meet while at Harvard. One of the strengths of Harvard is its people, and this is such a wonderful opportunity to meet people beyond the law school who share my passion for gender issues.
I had an amazing summer and still cannot believe that it is coming to a close! Hopefully the next one is even better!
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