This summer, YouthWorks participants will have new opportunities to learn about careers in city government. As youth were hired for YouthWorks summer internships, they identified career interests from the following list: Health, Law, Engineering, Politics, Business / Finance, and IT.
Youth interested in the field of Law have participated in a number of career exploration activities this summer:
- A group of YouthWorks interns visited the SF Public Defender’s office, where they met with Public Defender Jeff Adachi and learned about his career path and his work of the Public Defender’s office. The youth participated in a tour of the office, spoke with several public defenders about their cases, and walked over to the Hall of Justice to observe the closing arguments of a murder trial.
- Interns had the opportunity to visit the courtroom of SF Superior Court Judge Monica Wiley, who talked to them about her work as a judge and answered questions about the justice system in San Francisco.
- City Attorney Dennis Herrera and three of his deputies also hosted a group of YW visitors. Herrera and his staff explained their work at the City Attorney’s office and answered questions about lawsuits, law school, and the difference between civil and criminal law.
One intern, T. Andrade, explained that meeting lawyers and judges who work for the city has motivated her to achieve her future career goals: “It was like a flash of the future. I saw myself in these people’s shoes, enjoying my job. It made me look forward to going to law school and working hard to make it happen.”
Photograph: YouthWorks interns and staff visit SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi. Blog by Employment Coordinator Susannah Nadler.