Change the World by Alexis

Change the World by Alexis - June 2020 Scholarship Essay

A teenage girl changed my life in one moment. In that moment, I knew what my purpose was. I was observing a criminal trial in a courtroom as an intern for the District Attorney. Up to that point, I had been interning at the District Attorney’s Office for about one month and I had enjoyed it so far. I had been offered this intern position on a chance, seeing as I had no legal background at all. I just had an interest in law and wanted to see if it would be something I could pursue. I accepted the position and walked into the District Attorney’s Office without any clue as to what I would be doing or if I would even enjoy it. After being asked which unit I would like to intern in, I asked my supervisor to place me with any prosecutor that needed help. I was unpleasantly surprised when I was placed in the child protection unit.
I was open to exploring any type of law, but the child protection unit was definitely at the bottom of my list. This unit handles cases such as sexual abuse on children, neglect, and abandonment. I was sure that I could not picture myself enjoying working there. However, I decided to take a chance like they took on me. A month later, I found myself looking into the eyes of a teenage girl and almost coming to tears. I had been working on this case for a few weeks to prepare for trial with my assigned prosecutor. I had gotten to know the family fairly well and was familiar with their story. One of the hardest things about these cases is that the victim is often not willing or cannot testify. Sometimes they are too young, and most of the time it is too mentally traumatizing for them. The teenage girl took the stand and I was filled with anxiety for her. She began her story unwavering but about halfway through, she stopped and began to tremble. She looked up and met my eyes. I gave her a reassuring nod, hoping to give her some encouragement. She finished her story without issue. It was that moment that changed my life forever.
Because of that incredibly strong teenage girl, I discovered an unfathomable passion for the child protection unit. I truly cannot think of any other practice of law that I could make a bigger difference in. I will never forget the families that I had the opportunity to help during that internship. I want to change the world by helping victims like the teenage girl that changed my life.
A scholarship would change my world by helping me attend law school and pursue this dream. This scholarship would allow me to study public interest law without the burden of worrying about massive student debt. A legal education is a large investment, but investing in a child’s life is even bigger.