I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. It flew by, but for me, it was a “normal” trimester full of classes, internship, and International Law Journal responsibilities. I took what was probably one of the most educational and influential classes of my time here as a student – Trial Practice taught by Professor Conte and Judge Trentacosta.  If you have followed my blog over the years, you know that law school has constantly been an environment that challenged me to overcome my speaking-in-public phobia. While I stay humble (and nervous) in these situations, I have come a long way since Summer Enrichment. This Trial Practice class helped immensely. Not only did it help my oral communication skills, I learned that (I think) I like speaking in court because I had a lot of fun. In addition to the weekly practice seminars, we conducted two trials: one bench and one jury (a jury of fellow law students). It was scary and took a lot of preparation, but once the trials started, my fear dissipated and I was able to enjoy the process. I’m pretty sure my classmates felt similar. Therefore, I highly recommend taking the Trial Practice class. I am immensely thankful to myself that I stuck with that class and didn’t drop it after the first week (I considered it – I was that nervous).

Good luck to the 1Ls and the rest of the returning students as this trimester gets underway!

This summer I decided to stay in San Diego (no more world-traveling adventures for me this year) to work and take classes. I want to get some classes out of the way so that I can focus on my thesis and internship in the Fall. Also, I am continuing to collect data for the Homeless Court evaluation, which is a complex and arduous task. I appreciate the fact that I get to combine my interests in law and social work by using my research skills to evaluate a problem-solving court program. Through my current internship, I will also get to attend my first conference – Homelessness and the Justice System Summit: The Role of Problem Solving and Collaborative Courts. It’s being held in San Francisco next Friday and I am looking forward to meeting like-minded lawyers, social workers, probation officers, and other social service-oriented individuals. And, as always, it’ll be a great networking opportunity for me as a student.

Something that I have always challenged myself to do in law school is leave my comfort zone. Granted, law school kind of forces you to do that as is, but I realized that aside from the occasional Socratic-Method incidents and 1L Oral Arguments, I could have gotten through law school with little to no public speaking. That is definitely my weakness; I have gotten a little better, but only because I forced myself to join Toastmaster’s International during my 1L year and decided to get certified so that I could speak in court for my current internship (which I have done several times now – and yes, I still get extremely nervous, even though I know what to expect). Now I have taken another step toward working on my public speaking fear – I have enrolled in CWSL’s Trial Practice course, where I will be practicing my trial argument skills (currently lackthereof) in front of my peers, and more importantly, in front the the Honorable Judge Trentacosta. I know that I am going to gain a lot of experience in this class, but that has not completely quelled my fear yet. Despite that, it is so much more helpful and comforting to know that I will be public speaking in a supportive learning environment.

I will update you next week on whether my nerves get the better of me after I survive my first Trial Practice class on Monday!

Happy weekend everyone, and congratulations to all my friends and classmates – both at SDSU and CWSL – who graduate(d) this Spring!

This semester is going to be the busiest yet. I am at CWSL full-time this spring, which is a relief because trekking between two campuses each week was very exhausting. I am taking four classes – Con Law I, STEPPS, California Civil Procedure, and Trusts & Estates, plus a 3 credit independent study to work on my JD/MSW thesis. I am writing my law review article this semester as well, and on top of all that I am full steam ahead on creating and conducting a full-scale impact evaluation for San Diego’s Homeless Court Program. And…I’m interning (with Homeless Court/Public Defenders). I have been certified by the State Bar to speak in court under supervision (yay) and have just been informed that I’ll be able to exercise this opportunity in two weeks at the next Veteran’s Treatment Review Court hearing (yikes). So I have a LOT on my plate, and I’m a little bit worried but also very excited about all these wonderful opportunities and experiences I will be gaining this spring.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful winter break! I know that the vacation seemed too short (doesn’t it always?) especially for us JD/MSW’ers who – on SDSU’s schedule last year – had a full six week vacation between Fall and Spring semester. But, I feel like the longer I am away, the harder it is to get back into the swing of things, so maybe a longer break would not have done me much good!

I currently have a legal internship with the Office of the Public Defender. I am working with Steve Binder, who runs the Homeless Court Program here in San Diego County (it was the first in the nation!). He is also the public defender for a new pilot Veterans Treatment Review Calendar (VTRC).

VTRC  is an excellent problem-solving court that integrates treatment with the law. Its goal is to help recently returned veterans reintegrate into society so that they can achieve healthy, stable, and law-abiding lives. The participants go through tailored programs that address some of the issues that commonly affect veterans, such as addiction or PTSD. This way, the program addresses the underlying issues that led them to offend in the first place, rather than having them just spend time in jail.

I think that this program is innovative and exemplifies the best practices/evidence-based practice standards that the criminal justice system needs. Our courts and service providers are working together to help these individuals transition back into society. Above all, it is a step to recognizing the risks and dedication that military personnel take for us, and shows our appreciation for their commitment.

One of the reasons the Thailand internship is so important for social work students is because it gives you a chance to experience the anxieties and discomforts of being in a foreign place. This helps us connect with our clients, giving us a tiny bit of insight into what many immigrant clients experience 24-7. Clearly, this experience is helpful in lots of helping professions, not just social work. I really want to stress that connecting with clients is important as attorneys as well. I think it is a building block for trust. An experience abroad may help shape how you approach and interact with your clients. Although this is not the first time I’ve studied abroad to an Asian country, I felt that living in Thailand was much more challenging than when I lived in Korea. This time, I had absolutely no formal background in the language. While we had a great “crash course” the first week we arrived, nothing prepares you for that moment when you are forced to navigate daily living errands when the extent of your language ability is “hello”, “thank you”, and “may I please order fried rice.” Despite my Thai language shortcomings, the Thai people I ran into were both understanding and immensely helpful. For example, I had to take two buses to get to my internship in the outskirts of Bangkok. The bus system in Bangkok is extremely complex, and things aren’t always in English. The first few days of internship, I got on the WRONG bus two days in a row. Both times, a friendly Thai stranger noticed my looks of panic when the bus starts going through neighborhoods I’m pretty sure I’ve never been in before. And both times, after some more looks of panic when they ask me, in Thai, “where are you going?”, we gave up on communicating verbally and they would get off the bus with me and escort me to the right bus stop.

I only had to deal with these nervewracking ordeals for six weeks, but many of our clients deal with these seemingly simple issues (taking the bus, navigating the Social Security Office or DMV or asking for legal aid) everyday. And they often don’t have the luxury of being a graduate student studying abroad for a predetermined amount of time. They are often refugees, low-income, and/or are struggling with many other life-changing issues on top of the mundane “what bus do I need to take” issues. Experiences like studying abroad will hopefully make you more compassionate, culturally sensitive attorneys, social workers, and human beings. I know that for me, living in Thailand for those six weeks has broadened my perspective on life and will forever influence me as both a lawyer and social worker.

I am doing things differently in grad school though. I am trying to take more “me” time, and I am getting involved with more activities outside the classroom. Despite my adding MORE to my plate, it helps me from being completely burnt out. I am volunteering as a mentor for teens in juvenile court schools. I am actively involved in the creation of a new School of Social Work association called OUTreach – SDSU School of Social Work’s LGBTQA Association. I am planning my trip to Sacremento this April to attend NASW’s Legislative Lobby Days. Most importantly, I will be going abroad this summer. The School of Social Work has a Thailand Summer Internship program that I will be participating in, where I will hopefully be working as a joint legal/social work intern at the Ministry of Justice for six weeks. After that, the group of us are going to backpack to Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I leave May 25, and I am really glad that the MSW program offers such a great opportunity. I’ve studied abroad before, but there is something inherently satisfying and exciting about going to a foreign country to volunteer and help people. I am definitely going to do my best to update my blog while over there.

And yes, SDSU’s spring break has started – a full week without classes. We all need it; everyone is pretty run down and getting sick from all the stress and constant running around. As much as I love the concept of CWSL’s trimester system, I am thankful for SDSU’s semester calendar that allows students to have a full week vacation. Mine will be spent in a combination of homework, papers, sleeping in, and spending much needed time with friends.

When I get really bogged down with learning material, reading endless pages on developmental psychology or models of therapy, I have to remember to take a step back and remember why I am here. I remember one of my law professors during 1L telling us to do exactly that. Most law students don’t aspire to go  to law school to sit in a Civ Pro class. We choose to sit in those classes because we want to become lawyers, judges, politicians, etc. The same goes for us grad students; I’m pretty sure that most of us didn’t choose to get our masters degree so we could learn about  the psycho-social stages of development. So when I’m slogging through (what seems like) an endless chapter, I have to re-focus and remember the “bigger picture.” I think it may sound pretty cliche, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the honest truth. When you are bored out of your mind (I’m sure we all have “that class”), ask yourself what everyone else asks you when you tell them that you are in law/grad school: “Why are you going to to get this degree?” When I think about all the reasons why I am back in school, some of my motivation returns, and school doesn’t seem so “never ending.”

I am beginning to feel more competent in my internship, which is comforting. Despite working in social service agencies for quite a few years, having the responsibility of being case manager is new and daunting. It is also refreshing and never boring. On top of the craziness that is case managing, I will be contributing to a fidelity evaluation on a newly implemented teams program at my internship site. I think I will be able to put the Research Methods skills I’ve been learning about to work! Since my goal is to enter the Admin track of SW, this macro project seems like a perfect fit for my interests and aspirations.

As far as school goes, my first group project has been presented and completed, where we had to assess a population of our choosing and create a hypothetical program to meet their needs. We chose Transgender Youth in San Diego County as our target population, an area of interest for every group member. While I was hesitant to work in groups in the beginning of the year (as were many of us), I am much more pleased than I expected. We all worked hard and had a genuine interest in the topic, so we were much more productive and motivated than, say, some of the groups I worked with in high school or even undergrad. I have two more group projects this semester, and so far, they all seem to be turning out to be great groups and I am honored to be working with them.

I hope some of you had a chance to attend this year’s Dialogue on Diversity this past Thursday at SDCBA. This was my second year attending, and the lecture was again excellent. The topic was on communication differences between the generations (think: Gen Y and texting) in the workplace, and how it can enhance/impede leadership and a cooperative working environment.

Well I’m certainly no less busy since I started the MSW program…I have to get back to the books. I hope everyone takes a break this weekend to have some fun for Halloween (or just in general). There seem to be a lot of things going on, from big costume parties downtown, to haunted houses and walks (check out Balboa Park). One common theme that profs in both law school and SW seem to reinforce is that of a good WORK/PLAY balance. So, go carve a pumpkin

I have begun my second year of school as a JD/MSW student. This means that I began the first year of my MSW program. It is quite different than law school; in some ways what we learn is much more practically-oriented. I read something for class and I can directly apply it (or experience it) in my internship setting. Also, SW classes are very group oriented. We have major group projects and papers in almost all of my classes. That is something to get used to!

My internship is at Father Joe’s Villages (St. Vincent de Paul’s Village) down in the East Village. It’s a massive nonprofit that serves the homeless community in San Diego. I work as a Rapid Re-Housing intern, so I am learning how to do assessments and case management with clients. It is purely an MSW internship (no law involved) but I think it will help me as an attorney too, because a lot of what I learn is how to interact positively and productively with clients – building rapport, empowering them, developing a trusting and helping relationship. It’s not as easy as one may think, and I think it’s an essential tool for anyone in any helping profession.

I do miss law school (a lot), but the MSW program is opening a lot of opportunities for me as well. Law school taught me how important professor’s office hours are (!) and I’ve been visiting my MSW professors too. Also, there is an excellent summer study abroad opportunity that I have my heart set on (To Thailand- a 10 week summer internship). Since there are a lot of research papers and presentations, I am going to have the opportunity to delve in more depth into some areas of interest (special education, juvenile delinquency, and LGBT rights/advocacy) – my 3 other JD/MSW friends and I try to tie the law into whatever we do in class!

This is going to be an action-packed and interesting year at State. I’ll be sure to update. Last year I spent most of my life in the law library. This year I am running around and working on so many things that I barely have time to be in a library!

P.S. – A belated welcome to the incoming 1L class! And also a welcome to the newest 1L bloggers ^_^