Greetings! My name is Amelia Patrick, and I am overjoyed to be Washington Council of Lawyers 2021 Summer Intern. I am a rising senior at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia with a double major in Economics/International Affairs and a minor in Religion and Public Diplomacy. At Mercer, I have been provided with many opportunities to serve, lead, and develop personally. Some of these include serving as a Peer Advisor, a Mercer Ambassador, and an author for The Bear Market, The Mercer Economic Periodical.  

One of my most formative experiences over the past three years has been my time in the Service Scholars cohort of the Mercer University Honors College. Throughout my time in the cohort, I have taken classes about the equity gaps in our nation and tangible ways in which to perform positive service to help be a part of closing said gaps. The program culminates in a self-designed senior service project in which my partner and I have written Financial Aid Literacy Lessons for an educational program with economically disadvantaged high school students that will be implemented this upcoming fall. We hope to demonstrate that higher education can be an affordable option no matter their current economic situation.  

Learning about some of the inequalities that need to be addressed in this country is one of the experiences that sparked my desire to pursue a law degree and be a small part of creating more equitable institutions for all. Other experiences that make me interested in law include serving as a Justice on the Mercer University Honor Council and my internship for Bibb County Superior Court Judge David L. Mincey, III. Working with Judge Mincey’s staff attorney over the past year and a half has continued to drive my dream of serving others through the law.  

While I anticipate that law school will be formative in choosing the type of law I will practice, I am currently interested in working in either immigration law, with a nonprofit organization, as a public defender, or in public policy in a broader sense. Because of my areas of interest, I am beyond proud to be interning at Washington Council of Lawyers because of their commitment to serving others though pro bono and public interest law. I cannot wait to learn so much this summer and am ready for this wonderful opportunity here in Washington, DC!