My experience with interning and job shadowing and a law firm and with an ADA, my work with my District Attorney’s Youth Advisory Board, and the week I spent at Salve Regina University’s Summer Institute of Politics led me to want to major in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a minor in Psychology of Crime and an accelerated master’s in International Relations at my top choice school, Salve Regina University. I intend to intern at more places to expand my career field, but I am hoping to work in the legal, security, or foreign government field as a lawyer, law enforcement, security advisor, or in diplomacy. I want to continue my work as a legal assistant and paralegal throughout college to not only build my experience, but also help me pay for college and support myself. One of the most important experiences that led me to my chosen major and future career was my experience at Salve Regina University’s Summer Institute of Politics this past summer. While I did get to study politics and develop my own policy pitch and brief as a mock assistant to a member of Congress, I was also able to participate in a homeland security simulation and talk to current Salve Regina students about their studies. This led me to stray from my initial plan of studying political science, to now focusing on criminal justice and foreign diplomacy. Similarly, last Spring, I spent a day shadowing my local district court’s Assistant District Attorney. She led me through her trial preparations and trials themselves. It was so interesting to see how fast paced and chaotic but rewarding it can be. She also introduced me to her coworkers of various law professions including other lawyers, judges, clerk magistrates, and victim witness advocates. This experience showed me what careers were out there and what interested me. Additionally, my experience as a lawyer for my school’s mock trial team has pushed me closer to the law profession. Currently, I am interning through my school’s internship program as a legal assistant for a small firm for a personal injury attorney. I have been able to learn more about the legal field from an attorney’s perspective and expand my skills and knowledge. It has been so rewarding to see the cases I have gathered evidence for be settled and for the clients to get justice. I have an upcoming trial for a single mother that was left injured after a car accident and I’m excited to see all my hard work come to life in trial! I am also serving on my District Attorney’s Youth Advisory Board on the Substance Use committee as a student leader. Last year I was able to help make two video PSAs on drunk driving (View here: https://youtu.be/uIqgbATJpyA?si=bCHcTxlHXZiJ94ey )and on the impact addicted parents can have on their impressionable children (View here: https://youtu.be/v3PCD02VYHM?si=KJfq4XY456WTOFvv ). These videos were put on YouTube and are used at the District Attorney’s discretion usually during school assemblies when his outreach team visits. This program has also shown me the importance of creating resources for troubled teens and how much advocating for them can help them. All these experiences have shown me how powerful it is to be an advocate for those who need it. So, no matter which path I choose to go down, I know my passion for justice and service will help those who need it, whether it be representing them in court, getting justice through enforcing laws, or representing them in places they can’t be like in Congress or internationally.