The first time I argued a case
before the Chief Justice of the United States, I lost on a technicality buried
in the complex rules of tic-tac-toe. In the East Conference Room of the Supreme
Court, Chief Justice Roberts and his co-counsel of second graders promptly
declared that since I cheated in a game of tic-tac-toe, I should, as one
“Justice” so eloquently phrased it, serve a life term “in the slammer!” I was
only reprieved from punishment when the Chief Justice’s personal secretary
interrupted “Court” to announce the arrival of juice boxes for snack time. Such
was my life as the Visitor Programs Intern at the Supreme Court of the United
States. I spent my summer hosting educational programming events for Court
visitors of all ages—including using punishment for breaking the rules in
tic-tac-toe as a mechanism for explaining the justice system. My job
responsibilities did not, however, end there. Throughout the summer, I also
gave public lectures in the Courtroom about the history, architecture, and function
of the Supreme Court. I led private tours around the building for family,
friends, and personal guests of the Justices. I compiled research for the
Court’s Curator on extrajudicial activities of all former Supreme Court
Justices, and created scavenger hunts for children through the dozens of
Justice portraits in the Court’s main hall. Each day at the Supreme Court was
different; whether I was consoling a swarm of angry protestors or entertaining
the U.S. ambassador to France, I was never bored. Indeed, my summer was full of
learning experiences, all of which shaped me into a better leader, learner, and
communicator. Throughout my 12-week internship, I drew on past experiences at
Villanova to shape what I wanted to get out of my time in Washington—and I came
to fully understand why my GWS degree is so valuable.
On
the second day of my internship, I sat in on a private luncheon Justice Sonia
Sotomayor hosted with female judges and lawyers from Afghanistan. The women
told Justice Sotomayor about the rampant gendered violence in their country, a
place where women are killed simply for being women, and girls go to school at
the risk of being tortured or raped. Justice Sotomayor spoke eloquently about
the importance of female politicians in Afghani government, and expressed her
fervent belief that justice will prevail in law, even amid Afghanistan’s
struggles. I left the Court that day completely reaffirmed in my plans for the
future. Using my English and Gender and Women’s Studies majors, I want to
become a lawyer with a focus on gender issues and women’s rights. While I was
naive about that area of the law when I first arrived at the Court, I expressed
my interest in gender law to my supervisor in the Curator’s Office. Thanks to
my supervisor’s influence, throughout the summer I repeatedly spoke with
accomplished lawyers and judges from around the world, some of whom specialize
in various aspects of gender rights law in places as varied as Bosnia, England,
and Russia. I had the privilege of talking to Justice Ginsburg’s female law
clerks about how the Justice’s career in gender law inspired them to become
lawyers themselves. I gave tours to women who were from a generation when
females were not accepted into American law schools, and met inspirational
women from parts of the world where females in upper-level classrooms still
seems an impossible dream. Each day, the experiences reaffirmed my passion and
reminded of a lesson from a Philosophy of Women class or a Gender and the World
course. It all showed me how the Supreme Court’s motto, “Equal Justice Under
Law,” can apply to my own life. Each of my colleagues this summer worked toward
that mission of equality in his or her own way. Luckily for me, through this
internship, I rediscovered my own plans—the way I want to contribute to making
the world a more just society. I know that my GWS degree will help me get
there. 
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