Washington and Lee University
Name: Katie Kern
Hometown: Charleston, WV
Major: Classics, Politics
Where you interned for the Shepherd Program: Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
After an abysmal attempt at navigating the unfamiliar streets of Anacostia, in southeast Washington DC, we finally arrived at our destination, the apartment complex of a client who had been charged with Assault with Intent to Rob. Glancing at the entrance, I saw a group of about ten African-American teenagers staring directly at our car, wondering who we were, and more importantly, why we were there. We approached the group, introduced ourselves, and asked if one of them could unlock the building's main entrance. After a slight hesitation, a young man agreed, and we trudged up the stairs to our client's apartment. We knocked on the door, asking if our client was home; after an even more uncomfortable hesitation, we were finally invited into the apartment. I never would have guessed that the young woman I met that day would convince me of the fervency and validity of my aspirations to pursue the legal profession.
At its most basic level, addressing poverty entails people helping one another, but race is a powerful force that obstructs even the best intentions. This fundamental truth about American society hit home this past summer when I interned for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia as a part of my work in the Shepherd Poverty Program at Washington and Lee University. Interdisciplinary in nature, the Shepherd Program focuses on combining academic pursuits with service-learning opportunities, promoting human development to alleviate poverty. The program has offered the chance to examine poverty and social inequality through philosophical and political lenses, and has inspired my Classics Honors Thesis on the role of women and poverty during the rise of Christianity in Late Antiquity. Growing up in West Virginia, I never had to strain to see the deep-seated effects of poverty upon rural communities; my Catholic high school strongly emphasized service to the local poor. The Shepherd Program stood out during my college search as one of Washington and Lee's top selling points. While I never struggled to find poverty in West Virginia, I lived one of the least diverse, most sheltered lives imaginable. Every member of my tight-knit graduating class checked the "Caucasian box" on his or her college applications, and my experience at Washington and Lee has not been much different. I knew that I wanted to broaden my horizons during my Shepherd Internship; the devotion of my academic energies to the role of poverty in society, the institutions that oppress the poor, and those that ensure equality prepared me for this experience. As an investigator for the Public Defender Service, I met with clients, located and interviewed witnesses, obtained police and Court documents, photographed crime scenes, and subpoenaed records. I performed these duties for largely African-American and Hispanic clients who had been charged with Murder, Rape, Assault with Intent to Kill, Assault with Intent to Rob, and other serious felonies.
As the aforementioned woman's case progressed, I spent more time with her and started to gain her respect and confidence. Not even twenty years old, she was a single mother, seeking job training and struggling to make ends meet. At trial, when our client was called to the bench, I held her child. I thought about how much of an impact the outcome of this trial would have upon both of their lives. When the Judge dismissed her case, our client came back to me and hugged me; the look on her face said a thousand words. What I discovered, however, was not how great it feels to defend an innocent client; I learned that she deserved fair and quality legal representation, regardless of her innocence or guilt, wealth or indigence. I learned that while our client had not enjoyed the same opportunities and responsibilities as I had, she and I were not that different. I learned that more important than gaining her respect was granting her mine. And finally I learned that the legal profession can and will provide me the opportunity to address the pressing issues that poverty and race pose in our society. While I received my fair share of academic and athletic accolades throughout both high school and college, never have I felt so inspired to pursue a goal than I did in that moment, and never have I felt more accomplished.
Service (organizations, volunteer work, etc):
Capstone Paper Topic: Discrimination in and Alternatives to Sentencing in Non-Capital Crimes