Internship Location: Madison WI
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Policy Areas: Family Policy
I interned with the Institute of Research on Poverty in the Court Records Database Team. I learned how to code family cases in the state of Wisconsin as they pertain to visitation, placement, and divorce. It was very interesting to see the ways that the legal system can dictate (through mutual agreements of the parties, of course), how often parents see their children, and the many specifications that follow this division. La Follette helped me find this internship, and I am incredibly thankful that I was able to fulfill the requirement for the Public Policy Certificate this semester; however, I am more thankful that I found myself with an internship that I love so much and can get to continue for the rest of my time here at UW part-time. The people that I worked with were incredibly important to my learning process, and I would definitely recommend this internship to future students because of the flexibility that it provides. I didn’t envision myself gaining experience in the realm of family policy, but I am glad I did, as it adds another layer of depth to my love for the law in general. Overall, completing this internship was a gratifying experience.