Our first day of the program started with a lecture from our director, Jenna Sackter, who set the foundation for everything interns would build on throughout the week, walking through what the program would demand of them and the skills they'd be expected to develop by the time they stepped into a courtroom of their own and an office of a congressman. From there, interns heard from attorney Brandi Harden, who delivered a lecture on Incarceration, Race, and Reform. Rather than

Tuesday brought a full slate of perspectives, moving interns from the psychology behind criminal behavior to the real, lived experience of building a legal career. The day began with a lecture from Dr. Talisa Carter, a professor at American University. Dr. Carter drew on her own background as a former corrections officer, walking interns through how that experience shaped her and how it continues to inform the work she does today as a professor of criminology. From there, she

Today marked the start of a new cohort, and interns hit the ground running from the very first hour. The day opened with a speech from our executive director, Marshall Bailly, who welcomed the group and laid out what they should expect over the course of the week, the pace, the people they'd meet, and the kind of work they'd be doing. It was the kind of opening that sets expectations high without letting the excitement of day one fade into nerves. Later in the day, interns he