Student Organization Spotlight
Public Service Fund Supports Students in Unpaid Summer Positions
by Annabel Steele '25
In Williamsburg as trees begin to bud with warming days, summer is on the mind for many William & Mary Law students in the thick of the job application season. For 1Ls, the summer internship application process usually picks up steam over winter break and continues into the spring. Some people get offers as early as January; others continue interviewing as the semester goes on. (For example, I got my internship offer in March last year.)
Finding a summer job can be a stressful process. For many students, the stress is compounded by the fact that many public service summer positions are unpaid, so students have to find a way to support themselves over the summer without a paycheck. But at William & Mary Law, there’s support in the form of the student-run Public Service Fund (PSF). PSF provides ways for students to come together, have fun and rep William & Mary Law over the course of the year, and then uses the money it raises in these events to fund students working in unpaid public service internships over the summer.
PSF raises money over the course of the academic year through a variety of events and fundraisers. There’s something for everyone—a trivia night for the Jeopardy! aficionados, pickleball and cornhole tournaments for the competitive ones among us, and a Halloween party for the whole student body to come together and have fun. Plus, PSF also sells William & Mary Law apparel and accessories throughout the year.
The biggest PSF event of all is the annual auction, which occurs shortly into the spring semester. Professors, students, alumni, members of the broader community and more donate goods, experiences and prizes for the auction. Some of the hot items include kickball games, poker nights, meals, and movie experiences with faculty and professors, as well as tickets to sporting events, gift cards to restaurants, Supreme Court justice bobbleheads and more. Students dress to theme (this year’s theme was Birthday Party to celebrate PSF’s thirty-fifth year of existence!) and turn out to dance and celebrate as the total funds raised increase over the course of the night.
Towards the end of the spring semester, students working in unpaid public service summer internships can apply for funding from PSF. At that point, PSF will award the money it raised over the course of the year to individual students. It helps to be a member of PSF come application time—your participation, including volunteering at events and soliciting bids for auction, is taken into account when PSF divides the money—but anyone can apply for and receive funding. Last year, PSF raised over $100,000 over the course of the year!
For students stressed about supporting themselves over the summer, PSF is an absolutely invaluable resource. To learn more about PSF, check out its Instagram account here (@wmlawpsf).
In addition to support received from the Public Service Fund and the Dean’s Office, Summer Public Service Fellowships are made possible by the generosity of numerous alumni, faculty, friends, and grants from the Virginia Law Foundation and the Virginia State Bar.