LSJ maintains a strong presence in the community through internships, advocacy, and volunteering.
“My LSJ education has helped me realize the value I place on putting words into action. I refuse to be a seminar warrior, talking about issues of justice and inequity and not doing anything. I think fellow LSJ alumni and current students feel similarly.” Alumnus Doug McManaway ’10
INTERNSHIPS
One of the ways in which LSJ serves the community is through its internship program. Every student is required to complete 100 hours of service in an internship or volunteer position before graduation. Through this, students work with a variety of governmental and non-governmental agencies, including law enforcement agencies, social service organizations, courts, rights groups, policy organizations, and social support groups.
To allow interested students to continue at their internship site beyond the required 100 hours, LSJ has launched a new endowment, the Edward Sam Garcia Endowed Fund. This endowment will allow LSJ students who are enamored with their internship site to design and implement an independent project and get paid to work on it. These hands on experiences provide our students an opportunity to engage with and contribute to the greater community.
“My internship has been a crucial part of my education as it has provided me with an in depth and first-hand experience that has exemplified the importance of providing equal representation and advocacy, for every individual, in a court of law.” Alumna Natalia Parker ‘19
ADVOCACY
LSJ offers several monthly book clubs in local prisons. Students in the monthly prison-based book clubs engage in literature-based correspondence with inmates in solitary confinement; participate in monthly book club discussions with inmates, and help facilitate the efforts of the Incarcerated Women’s Advocacy Project.
LSJ faculty also offer a Mixed Enrollment course in Washington State Reformatory in collaboration with University Beyond Bars, a nonprofit that provides college-prep and college-level courses at the Washington State Reformatory and the Minimum Security Unit in Monroe. Through these courses, LSJ students get the unique opportunity to take a class along with University Beyond Bars students who are serving time in prison.
“It is beyond wonderful to be able to provide an opportunity for dozens of students to share time with people who are incarcerated. It is a profoundly humanizing experience, for everyone who is involved.” Professor Herbert
VOLUNTEERING
Additionally, the LSJ Day of Service provides an annual opportunity for local alumni and current students to work together to assist local service organizations. For the last nine years, we have partnered with the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), which provides both temporary and permanent housing to Seattle’s homeless community and works to transition people who are living on the streets into more permanent and sustainable living situations.
LSJ’s core value is service and through these efforts we hope to strengthen the local community and create meaningful connections with local organizations.
“I think my favorite part about LSJ Day of Service is being able to meet other people in the LSJ community. It’s a great opportunity to network with current and former students and to get back in touch with why we all decided to pursue LSJ— to serve our community in socially impactful ways.” Alumna Crystal Song ‘19
If you’re an organization interested in hosting an LSJ intern or an LSJ Day of Service, contact us to learn more: lsjadv@uw.edu