Internship allows student to try out legal career

Victoria Chwojnicki knew early in her high school career that she was interested in law as a possible career. She took the American Law class at Prospect High School, following it up with Criminal and Civil Law -where a field trip to a local county courthouse really piqued her interest.

So when a friend mentioned that she was doing an internship coordinated by District 214, Victoria went to the district website to investigate the opportunities.

"Law has always been something I've been interested in. But I'm the type of person who learns best from doing things myself. So I thought an internship could be a cool opportunity," says the Prospect senior. "I wanted to see for myself if law was something I should continue to pursue."

Victoria applied to the District 214 internship program, and was placed in an internship at Newland and Newland, an Arlington Heights-based law firm specializing in personal injury cases. She completed her 30-hour internship in the fall.

Students in District 214 can apply now for internships for summer 2022, and for the fall semester of the 2022-23 school year. The district's program offers both 60-hour internships and 30-hour micro-internships, earning either a half or a quarter academic credit. Internship opportunities are available at a wide range of local businesses, in many different career pathways. The goal is to help students explore career opportunities as they make decisions about their lives after high school graduation.

That was true for Victoria.

"I had been thinking I wanted to do corporate law, but the internship helped me realize there are other pathways I could consider," Victoria says.

After the internship ended, Newland and Newland offered her a part-time job. Now she spends six hours a week helping the firm with tasks including requesting medical bills, following up with insurance companies and organizing paperwork.

"I love every second of it," she says. "I love that every day is different. I know that I'm going to be challenged in some way or another. And I like feeling that what I'm doing matters."

She is interested in majoring in economics in college - the University of Illinois is a top choice - then pursuing a law degree. To get as much exposure to the legal profession as possible before college, she's currently enrolled in the Advanced Legal Concepts class at Prospect, and is a member of the Mock Trial team.

"I would tell other students what a great opportunity an internship is," Victoria says. "I know people were apprehensive about doing internships because of COVID. And it's true, I was never able to go to court. But I still got so much out of the experience."

For more information about the District 214 internship program, visit www.d214.org/Page/2108. Or apply for an internship at https://d214.smapply.io. The application deadline for summer and fall internships is March 18.