Last Day, Walking Down K Street, and Goodbye Washington
I walk to work every morning because the walk to Ayuda’s K Street office isn’t too long, and it gives me time to listen to music, sort through my thoughts, and casually people-watch. On my last day, this walk felt more special than most because I knew that it would be the last time that my daily life and routine would be exactly like this ever again. Even if I live in D.C. at another point in my life, I will be different, my job will be different, and where I am in my life will be different.
On that last walk to work I thought about a lot of things. I thought about how grateful I was that thigs worked out so well with my internship. It was a pretty big risk to take, considering I didn’t know anyone with prior experience at this organization I had grown to love and respect. It was very difficult saying goodbye to my team and at the end of my exit interview with my supervisor, I found myself struggling to put into words how much this experience meant to me, so instead, I wrote my team members letters.
In these letters, I told them how important it was that they realize the tremendous impact that they had on my life and on my career path. The Ayuda staff taught me the importance of finding your voice and your cause so that you can make the greatest impact possible in the ways that you find to be the most significant. I learned that there are many different ways to have an impact on various communities; informing people of their rights, changing the policies that impact them, defending members of said community in the courtroom, and many more that I was able to observe but that aren’t mentioned here.
My biggest learning experiences were conducting the interpreter audit, observing a Civil Protection Order Hearing, and going to see Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speak and reflect on her impressive career. Outside of my internship, I learned a lot by living in Washington D.C. and I have gained more confidence in exploring other cities that I love, like Boston, Chicago, and New York. I achieved my goals of exploring the city and both the legal and human rights realms. I also achieved my goals of career exploration by attending the Georgetown University PPIA Weekend, multiple Wake Forest University happy hours, and by talking about career paths with my team members on a regular basis. This internship has made me interested in learning more about a career in nonprofit work and a legal career.
One piece of advice that I would give to next year’s interns is to constantly seek out opportunities to learn more about all your career options. Do not be scared to apply for conferences, approach your supervisor, or attend events that may be out of your comfort zone. Chances are, you will get something out of the experience: meeting an interesting person, walking in on a cool cultural event, or even just practicing using the metro. Do not choose to skip out on an opportunity because you aren’t positive that it will be a totally positive, comfortable, or life-changing experience. Come with an attitude that there is something to be learned from every experience.
I am so grateful to Wake Forest University for supporting me via this grant. This experience has been invaluable and provided me with the opportunity to reflect on my career goals. I’ll miss Washington D.C. but I look forward to another great year at Wake Forest where I can apply all that I have learned this summer!
– Sophie Leruth (Class of 2019)
