Message from the Executive Director- January 2013

Dear PLSS Members & Friends:

Congratulations! If you’re reading this email, it means you survived (for many of you, your first round of law school) finals. We hope you enjoyed your well-deserved holiday hiatus and crammed as much cheer as possible into those last couple weeks of December.

So, look- we hate to do it, and we left you alone for all of December, but we’ve gotta be a bit of a Scrooge now. While we’re sure that the absolute last thing you want to think about right now is finding a summer internship, we highly suggest that all students who are considering applying for the Summer Grant take a few minutes to review the PLSS Grant Requirements PowerPoint and 2013 Grant – Suggested Timeline. In addition, students who plan on applying to the grant must attend one of two mandatory PLSS Grant Information Sessions on Wednesday, January 23^rd at 12:00 p.m. or Thursday, January 24^th at 5:30 p.m. in Classroom H. (Please note: there is no meeting this Wednesday as stated in the Docket. The correct meeting times are the ones listed above.)

We know, we know- it seems totally premature to be planning for summer internships already. But we promise you, it’s not. Here’s why: in order to be eligible for the PLSS grant, you must secure an offer from a qualifying firm/agency/organization by the application deadline, March 27^th. That means that you have a little over three months to send out résumés, make follow-up calls, schedule interviews (sometimes multiple rounds), and secure an official offer from an employer. All this while also attending classes, studying constantly, and preparing for spring finals.

We’re guessing we just multiplied your stress level by about 100. Sorry ‘bout that…

Look, don’t panic. Breaaaaaathe. While PLSS doesn’t have the capacity to place all our members in summer internships, we do everything possible to facilitate the process. For starters, PLSS has coordinated with the CDO this year to co-host the annual Public Interest Career Fair on January 31^st in the McGeorge Student Center. (All firms/agencies present at this event are grant-qualifying public interest employers.) With PLSS’s help, the CDO hopes to increase the number and diversity of hiring firms/agencies at this year’s fair. If you haven’t already, we strongly urge you to have your résumé reviewed by the CDO prior to handing it out at the Public Interest Career Fair. (Resume review is now a mandatory grant requirement, so why not get it out of the way early?)

Not interested in staying in Sacramento over the summer? (Can’t say we blame you. The 100+ degree weather blows.) Sign-up for interviews and attend PI/PS Day at the University of Hastings on February 2^ndand 3^rd. This career fair hosts over 100 public interest employers each year from all over Northern California, many of whom accept résumés in advance and schedule interviews with applicants on-site during the fair. The due date to apply for interviews is January 18^th, i.e. THIS Friday. (Application instructions were emailed to all students on December 13^th. For more information visit http://www.one-justice.org/pips or contact Brent Bynum in the CDO.) We know San Francisco is a bit of a drive, but it’s definitely worth the trek, especially if you’re interested in working in the bay area. For those who need or want transportation to the fair, PLSS is organizing a carpool- shoot us a quick email (mcgeorgeplss@gmail.com) to be added to the list.

Finally, as was discussed at our first meeting, PLSS has worked tirelessly this year to create an Internship Assistance Program. Detailed logistics of the program can be found in the above documents and will be discussed at the information sessions next week, but suffice it to say- although the program won’t actually “place” you in an internship, it will certainly eliminate a substantial amount of the application process “leg work.” Just keep in mind- if you want to be part of the Internship Assistance Program, you must have your resume reviewed by a CDO officer before March 1^st (approximately one month prior to the grant application deadline).

We realize this is all probably a bit much to absorb given that you’re still recovering from the trauma of finals (and the subsequent post-finals celebrations). For now, we only ask that you take the time to review the above documents and plan to attend one of the two mandatory PLSS Grant Information Sessions on Wednesday, January 23^rd at 12:00 p.m. or Thursday, January 24^th at 5:30 p.m. (We stress – attendance at one of these meetings is necessary if you are applying for the grant! We will cover all relevant topics at these meetings including how to obtain mandatory volunteer hours, how to best portray yourself as an attractive grant applicant, and whether an employer is considered “public interest” for the purposes of the grant.)

One final announcement – we are delighted to welcome our new appointees to the PLSS Community Outreach Committee Board: Marisa Shea, Brian Flemmer, Keisha White, Jacqueline Logan, and Christine Dugger. These students have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to public service and we look forward to the passion and commitment that they will inevitably bring to PLSS. Keep an eye out for emails next semester from our Community Outreach Committee regarding awesome volunteer projects and fundraising events.

As usual, we sign-off by leaving you with a final thought-provoking quote –

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”                   ~ Woodrow Wilson

Go out and enrich the world, my friends.

Cheers!

-Amanda Dickey, PLSS Executive Director