Full Circle - The experience of one of our interns whose dad had been a client of GJP

My family and I have been part of GJP for as long as I can remember. We came to the Georgia Justice Project seeking help with my father’s case. That was over 10 years ago. During that time, my family had run out of options and they wanted the best results for his case. He was sent to prison, but the Georgia Justice Project was still by our side. At the time, I was too young to fully understand how GJP worked, what they did, or even how they helped people. However, I did know that our family was glad to have them in our lives.

Working as a summer intern at GJP has truly been a blessing to both me and my family. Most people my age really don’t have the opportunity to go someplace and experience the things I have experienced here at GJP. I have learned more about the law in the past month than I have known in my entire lifetime. Not only have I gained legal knowledge, I can say that working at GJP has helped me tremendously when it comes to networking, and meeting new people. Previous to my internship at GJP, I found it difficult to talk to strangers, or people I didn’t know well enough. Once Julie gave me my assignment I realized it was something I wasn’t so good at; answering the phone, and the door. Both of those tasks require excellent social skills, which I didn’t think I had. One day I found myself walking around the office looking lost and Sanchez told me to come in his office. He gave me a LONG lecture about the type of people to expect, what and what not to do, etc. I found his lecture very helpful. Weeks and weeks passed since his lecture, and I was doing a pretty good job; at least I thought!

It was a Friday afternoon, and Julie and I were the only people left in the office. One of Sanchez’s clients came to the door, and of course I answered it. He began to speak with this demon-possessed voice, and asked me questions about various Gods that I wasn’t familiar with. Not only did I not understand what he was saying, but he got angry at me for apparently no reason! I guess Julie heard that something was going on, and she came to save the day! I felt so relieved to see her come around that corner I didn’t know what to do.

With that being said, I would like to thank all of the staff members who helped make my summer such a great experience. Words can’t explain exactly how I feel having such dedicated; hardworking people as a mentor guiding me in the direction that I should go. I would also like to thank the awesome interns that have kept me filled with laughter, joy, and provided me with an awesome experience here at GJP!