Eric Petry ’14 (an economics major and political science minor from Worthington, Ohio) spent last summer working for the San Francisco chapter of the National Lawyer’s Guild (NLG) with the help of APEX funding. The NLG, an organization that promotes civil liberties and helps individuals connect with legal resources, was a perfect place for Eric to explore the legal profession. His internship consisted of performing administrative tasks, responding to mail from prisoners who requested legal information, and participating in community outreach. Eric also performed extensive legal research and helped organize local protests on civil rights-related topics.
Eric’s internship tied in well with his prelaw advisory program at Wooster, which helps students who are considering the possibility of law school. It also dovetailed with his previous experience with AMRE, the College’s Applied Mathematics and Research Experience program. Through that program, Eric learned about theories of experiential learning and how real-world experiences like internships connect with classroom learning. He applied this to his NLG internship by tying it in with his classes as the College, particularly Jurisprudence, Law, and Society, which touched on issues of injustice in the legal system. Eric’s internship experience also helped him decide that he wants to attend law school, but also convinced him that taking time off after graduation to learn about the possibilities was a viable option.
By Madeleine O’Neill ’16