Internship
International Justice Mission

Where are you from?  Why did you choose JMU?
I’m from Williamsburg, VA and I chose JMU because I fell in love with the campus, I loved the friendly environment, and the people. It also seemed like the perfect school to help me decide what I wanted to do for a career after graduating.

Why did you decide to participate in Washington Semester?
I decided to do the Washington Semester program to get some experience of what it’s like in a post-grad work environment. I also just wanted to get a head start on job searching and the networking opportunities the program provides to make things a little bit easier after I graduated.

What were the highlights of your internship?
There were so many! First, I would say the networking opportunities that came out of my internship. I met and got connected with so many people from different places that were very helpful in sharing steps to take in my career development. Second, is definitely living in DC and taking advantage of everything the city has to offer; from various talks, seminars, and panels to museums, concerts, and of course the many restaurants. Lastly, the people I got to work with as a whole at IJM. I looked forward to coming in to work every day and had such an amazing work environment around me.

How did you adjust to the impact of COVID-19 on your Washington experience?
It was definitely very unexpected as pretty much all of DC closed down and we still had so many things planned for the second half of the program. But even with our time in DC being cut in half, I had such an incredible experience in the short months we were there. My internship went online for the remainder of my time and we had to move out after spring break, but I was actually hired on as a remote temp after my internship ended and continued to work from home with my organization after the semester was over!

What advice would you offer to future Washington Semester students?
Take advantage of everything your internship and the program offers, especially the networking opportunities. This program is the perfect opportunity to meet so many different people who come from different backgrounds that can help you on your career path. Also, take advantage of everything the city has to offer because there’s so much constantly going on!

What are your long-term career plans?
I plan to go to law school, work with non-profit organizations, here in the U.S or internationally, and in policy.