I was led to my Supervisor's office, Cynthia Limoges, and my journey began. Cynthia’s job was victim advocacy and she worked in the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office in Warwick, RI, where I was interning during the summer of 2012. She taught me invaluable information about the court system and about her job. As she works in victims’ advocacy, her task was making sure that the victims’ voices were heard.  She had to be able to give her complete attention to each victim and to offer comfort and guidance through the legal system. I’ll never forget the day that she took me up to court for a trial on a 25-year old man who had raped his 13-year old neighbor. The mother stood up and was brought to the front of the courtroom to read a statement for her daughter. Tears filled my eyes as she read through her daughter’s words and took moments to breathe. I had never imagined the pain a family endures in a rape case, but now I felt a pull to fight for them to get restitution. The criminal ended up with the maximum sentence in prison: 30 years. The family was happy to have him locked up but no amount of jail time could ease their sorrow or rage. 

During this internship, I saw just how important it is for victims to have people on their side in court cases. Not every victim can be dealt with in the same manner. Depending on the cases, some victims needed a more therapeutic environment with extreme compassion while others sought to avenge their criminals; Cynthia provided the victims with ways to harbor their feelings and talk through situations. I saw how helpful my supervisor was to her clients and how hard she had to work to help them.  She was always poised and jovial but also strong and influential.  She could handle all types of personalities. She had to be patient because reaching victims can be arduous and frustrating.

I saw myself doing this kind of work because my father is a civil lawyer and since I was 13 I've helped him around the office and enjoyed handling paperwork and learning about mortgages, wills, and closings, to name a few. It's always been in the back of my mind to become a lawyer and in seeking out this internship I thought it would be a great way to test my love for this particular field. In this branch of criminal law I was reminded of my mother who constantly cares for those around her whether they are family or an older woman she meets at a coffee shop. She has a heart of gold and reminded me of Cynthia in her compassion and ability to put everything in her life aside to benefit others. With both of my parents being an integral part of my life, I can see myself working in this setting where my mother and father would always be on my mind.

I am currently taking a class at Smith about American Constitutionalism and every class we address different amendments within the Constitution. I find this to be extremely interesting and yet another way that I am on a path to working somewhere where I can be involved in law.