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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.