Thank you to the attorneys and students who attended our second annual Public Interest 101 event. APALSA was pleased to welcome an estimated 30 students to our panel and reception. Our panelists from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Harrison Institute for Public Law, Advocates for Justice & Education, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Public Defender Service of DC shared insight on what led them to their current jobs and what unique challenges and rewards come from being an APA attorney in public interest. Customized bibimbap bowls were provided by Rice Bar.
Isabel Yu (1L Section 5 Representative): This event provided an enlightening opportunity to get to meet people who decided to pursue very different interests within the legal profession. It was very reassuring to see how versatile a legal education can be. The networking portion of the session was especially helpful because many of us had the opportunity to ask about how to design our summers and how to build skills that would be helpful to a career in public interest.
Michael Yu (1L Section 3 Representative): I appreciated the panelists' insight into the way that their Asian American identities shaped their relationship with their work in the context of America's racial history. They reflected on what it meant for them to be Asian American in the context of the criminal justice system and their work for civil rights, and it was heartening to see that these conversations happened in the legal world.
APALSA has many upcoming events. We are hosting a Bar Review on October 24 from 9:00pm-1:00am at Brixton. Georgetown APALSA has also invited the APALSAs from George Washington, American University, Catholic University, and the University of the District of Columbia. The following week, APALSA's Halloween Party will be on October 31 from 7:00-9:00pm at Rocket Bar. We hope to see you all there!