The Atlanta Lawyer August/September 2014 | Page 21

Summer Law Internship Program
ourselves. Thanks to advice, practice, and precautionary
steps like these, we were most definitely ready for our journey
to officially begin.
The next part of this incredible trip finally came on June 9th.
The ride had begun as we entered our respective intern host’s
offices and we could at last put every piece of advice and
knowledge we’d received to the test. Each intern’s experience
is unique; for some, every day is something different, for
others, each day is similar. But – and this is the wonderful
part – across the board you will find that each day you learn
something you never knew before. Every routine or exciting
moment of this experience leaves us knowing a little bit
more than we did before June 9th. Whether it is learning the
process for aiding victims of violence, or learning that you
have to use the second set of elevators to get to ground level,
it is all a learning experience. But more than that, the most
precious lesson that can be received from this internship is
the lesson about yourself; learning who you are, and just how
far you can take yourself. Our coordinator Natasha Silas said
something very beautiful and profound a couple of meetings
ago, although I do not have the exact quotation, it was along

The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association

the lines of “You don’t know how strong you really are. Most
of the time, we only tap in to a small percentage of what’s
really there. But you will find there is a lot more in you than
you think.” And this is what the program epitomizes; reaching
within yourself every single day and putting to the test what
you are made of. It will be a bumpy ride, and making mistakes
is an inevitable factor. But as Wade Malone often has said,
mistakes are usually the best lessons learned.
To my fellow interns, I would like to leave you with this final
charge, don’t make your journeys all about the destination,
but rather focus on every step you are taking to get there.
Each one of you most certainly has a vision of where you will
be in the coming years – future attorneys, judges, writers,
entrepreneurs, international liaisons – and with this vision
comes the means of reaching it, such as this program. I dare
you to not only enjoy the ride, but to never stop traveling
forward in all your pursuits.
Again, on behalf of the 2014 Interns we are grateful to
everyone in this room for this Internship Program. Thank You
for this incredible opportunity that has meant so much to us.

August/September 2014

THE ATLANTA LAWYER

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