Major: Political Science - Public Service 

• Internship: Projects Intern at Pro Bono Institute 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-yepez-14404416a/
• Current Position: Senate Fellow at the California State Senate

Tell us about your internship – what kind of work did you do? What did you find rewarding? 

As the projects intern at Pro Bono Institute (PBI), I had the opportunity to participate in PBI’s staff meetings, Conference content meetings, and other learning opportunities. I conducted research to support PBI’s activities, including research support for sessions of PBI’s Annual conference. I also helped write an article for PBI’s blog which covers two decades of PBI’s pro bono work! Learning about the importance of pro bono services through testimonies and advocates of pro bono services was one of the most rewarding experiences. It was evidence of how pro bono services truly assists low income communities whether it’s in housing, financial, and/or civil rights disputes.

Have your career or life goals changed as a result of your internship? If so, how? 

This internship experience solidified my desire to pursue law school, specifically to give back to my community. It also confirmed that the legal field covers many areas of law which to my interest are public interest law, public health law, immigration, and big law!

Share an exciting memory from your internship – something unexpected, an accomplishment, someone you met. 

The most memorable experience was when I attended one of the pre recording sessions for PBI’s annual conference. At this session, the attorney shared his testimony in how he advocated for his client. His client then shared how helpful the attorney was and how he is forever grateful for him. When representing a client, a piece of advice that the attorney shared was “You have to fight for your client as if they are your family member.” This really inspired me and so, I found the attorney on LinkedIn and shared how touching his testimony was! We are now connected on LinkedIn!

Did your internship lead to any opportunities? 

Although I was primarily focused on PBI’s Corporate Pro Bono Project, I was also able to assist the supervising attorneys in the Law Firm Pro Bono Project. I was able to research entities that assisted Texans that were impacted by the snow storm. I also researched Pro Bono Law Firms on NALP and created an Excel data spreadsheet.