An Internship with Impact: Final Thoughts on My Time at NCSC International
Having wrapped up my internship at NCSC International about a week ago, I am now preparing for my second academic year at William & Mary Law. The hustle and bustle of preparing for the new year has involved a lot: moving into a new place, gathering materials for my new classes, and heading off to interviews for next summer positions. As I write my final blog post, I am thankful to take a look back at my time in Arlington, Virginia, with NCSC International.
What stands out to me the most is how much of an impact my internships this summer had on two fronts. First, I truly feel as though my work had an impact on rule of law development across the globe. While that work I did was a far cry from the ground work that many reformers do, I know that they support work I did from the home office was able to assist in success abroad, whether it directly helped the international projects or aided the nonprofit’s internal functions. The second impact of the internship was the effect it had on me personally. I was thankful to have been able to experience a fantastic work environment and have my eyes opened to a variety of new legal topics.
Of course, there are some smaller details of working at an international nonprofit that I will miss. For example, whenever someone came back from an overseas trip, there was always some type of candy from that destination in the break room. And the scenery of the office was great, as there were decorative items from a variety of cultures and countries adorning every shelf, desk, bookcase, and wall.
Most of all, I will miss the people at NCSC International. Everyone at the office was so unbelievably welcoming and kind throughout my entire summer. I truly felt like a part of the team by the time I left on my last day, which made saying goodbye that much harder. On the interns’ final day, the office celebrated our summer with cake and shared very thoughtful advice to Xiang and I for our future legal studies. But with aspirations to be in the D.C. area (or at the very least be able to visit there), I will be sure to stop by NCSC International and see everyone when I have the chance in the future!
And with that, my final blog post is a wrap. I had a great time being a part of the Comparative Legal Studies and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding Program at William & Mary Law, but now it is time to focus on my second year of law school.
Signing off,
John