Two
weeks before I started interning at MidPenn Legal Services, I went to Kerala,
India, to visit children in orphanages. I was struck by the way the poor in
India carried themselves. Among them, there was not a sense of urgency or
dissatisfaction, but rather acceptance. Maybe it’s a cultural difference or
a religious one, but it made me wonder how my experience with poor people in
America would differ.
What I
learned from working at Mid-Penn Legal Services this summer is that, indeed,
there is a difference between how poor people appear in this country as
compared to others. In America, the poor are often obese, creating the
appearance of being well-fed. They are often addicted to bad and expensive
habits, such as smoking or drinking. They seem to make poor economic
choices, like opting for access to cable in their homes, although unable to
pay for basic necessities.
At first
blush, it is easy to write off the poor in America because of this false
sense of being. This seems especially so in a country like America where a
world of information is literally and constantly accessible at our
fingertips and there have been systems such as welfare programs, food
stamps, and Medicaid in place for decades. It seems that our country is far
advanced over other so-called “third world” countries, whose poor are
practically without hope for any change in their circumstances. The reality
is that these “crutches” (welfare programs, etc.) may not be “crutches” at
all, rather debilitating contributors to the continuation of poverty in
America.
While my
view of the poor in America has been enriched, my experience at MidPenn
Legal Services has also served me in a more personal way. When I decided to
come to law school, I was inspired by leaders such as Gandhi and Martin
Luther King, Jr. I considered the study of law as a medium for “being the
change I wanted to see” and I believed this profession solicited individuals
who, in the words of Charles Thurgood Marshall, desired to serve as “social
engineers.”
The day before I
started law school I wrote an essay indicating what I hoped to gain over the
next three years and my reasons for choosing this path. I keep it on my
desk and I have often read it to myself in times of academic despair (when
reading mountains of cases day after day). As a student, it is easy to get
inundated with details about procedure, or case law, or doing well in
classes. But, in my view, no amount of academic immersion compares to
experiencing true “social engineers” in their element. I feel truly honored
to work with the attorneys at MidPenn Legal Services. Their work ethic is a
testament to their belief in creating “equal justice for all” and to the
limitless possibilities of this profession. There is an energy that exists
at MidPenn Legal Services that can only be described as spiritual, which
becomes apparent through each of the employee’s patience and perseverance.
This
internship experience has not only provided me with a deeper understanding
of the situation of the poor in America, but also with a renewed confidence
that I will be able to use my profession and my life as a medium for change.
