MEDOVI Intern Summer 2020

I come from China, and my parents are both business people. They pay attention to education and always tell me to learn more. I was good at Mathematics and  Physics, because I love to solve puzzles, so I studied material engineering in college. Then one day, when I read a piece of news about a woman and her sons forced into prostitution by her husband, I was shocked and upset. I started to study law as a second degree. Another reason that triggered me to study law was an IP incident. When I was in the lab, I had some problems concerning intellectual property; my paper was copied by a team member, and I was really angry.

When I studied law further during college, I became more and more interested in human rights, especially women’s rights and family law. My graduation paper is also about the value of housework. I decided to continue studying law after my graduation, because I did not study it enough, as it’s a second degree. At that time, I decided to came to the States because I think that a JD is both challenging and rewarding. I’m interested in how the States deal with human rights and IP law since both of them are underdeveloped in China. Since I finished my 1L in law school, I’ll continue studying more thoroughly about human rights and IP law.

I’m really excited to have this internship opportunity. I learned a lot from WLC. Both Suzanne (Project Director) and Elena (Legal Advocate) are kind and teach me a lot. I’m grateful and learned a lot about how to talk to the clients to get the information we need. One of the benefits is to meet different people, read their stories, and see how they recover from trauma. It’s really comforting to see their lives getting better. I learned more about how the States are protecting women from domestic violence and other crimes. I also noticed culture’s impact on women’s lives. Sometimes, they will not call the police because of their beliefs. It’s a chance for them to change their lives with the help of this project. I also got the chance to observe a hearing in the courthouse, which is valuable because I learned how hearings work during COVID-19. It’s a great pleasure to work with MEDOVI this summer.