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By Gabriella Leaming, Justice and Legal Thought College Park Scholar
The most rewarding part of this internship was the population that I was serving. As someone who has close friends that have been affected by sexual violence, it was incredibly rewarding knowing I am making a difference helping others like this.
This semester I was a program intern with the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, a non-profit organization that fights for and advocates on behalf of victim’s rights. The MCASA staff trains sexual violence advocates, supports Maryland legislation that protects victims, and acts as a general resource for those affected by sexual assault. As an intern, I worked with the MCASA team on several different projects. I assisted with creating advocate trainings, compiling statistics and resource information, creating and presenting certificates, writing newsletter articles, and much more. Most recently, I have begun helping my supervisor Meredith with the new MCASA On The Go podcast which I will be featured in next month.
The most rewarding part of this internship was the population that I was serving. As someone who has close friends that have been affected by sexual violence, it was incredibly rewarding knowing I am making a difference helping others like this. Whether it was assisting in an advocate training about walking a survivor through the rape kit process or writing an article that raises awareness of sexual violence during the pandemic, my internship at MCASA was exceptionally rewarding. Working for such a small organization made my impact feel even more direct, as I know the work I have done is going directly to those who may need it the most. This internship allowed me not only to apply what I have learned in JLT, but also feel the impact that justice and legal thought has on our daily lives.
Hi Gabriella,
This sounds like it was an enriching experience! I was drawn to your poster because i recently just completed a sexual assault prevention training session, so this topic was on my mind. I learned that this organization does work surrounding Title IX, which is amazing. How has your perspective on Title IX and especially the changes made to UMD's sexual assault guidelines changed after this internship?
Hi Gabriela,
The topic of this poster caught my attention especially with sexual assault being such a prominent issue in today’s world. I learned that there are actually resources put in place to help victims from reading the information. What was your biggest takeaway from the experience as a whole?
This poster caught my attention because sexual assault is such a prevalent issue in our society and I would like to learn of efforts being made towards aiding survivors since I really have only heard of prevention and awareness. I think that it is awesome that you had the opportunity to write articles advocating for survivors of sexual assault. I wonder if you see a career in dealing with this social issue.
Hi Gabriela,
Your poster does an amazing job at conveying the work that you did this semester! I genuinely think this internship is such an amazing one and that the work that you did was incredibly meaning! You mentioned how you were able to do some work with Title IX, did this impact you or your major in any way?
Hey Gabriela,
I've heard great things about MCASA, so naturally, your poster stood caught my attention. Taking an overview of your project, your internship gave me insight into what work the organization is constantly shifting its focus on, whether it be research projects or writing for MCASA. With that in mind, you seemed to have appreciated the workplace more than anything while doing your internship. How did the workplace feel more inclusive in comparison to your other employment/internships, if comparable? Nonetheless, you did a great job on your poster!