Featured 2020 Honors Grant Recipients

In 2020, SPIN allowed me to continue my work for the State of New Jersey by providing funds to see me through the pandemic. My internship was touch-and-go for a while, but SPIN stood by me regardless of the turmoil. Thanks to SPIN, I was able to work on cases involving addiction treatment funding and attorney confidentiality issues. I hope to continue my professional career after graduation with the State of New Jersey, and SPIN has greatly improved my odds of success.

In the summer of 2020, I interned for a federal judge on the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. I got real chummy with WestLaw, researching and writing about compassionate release, social security, evidentiary disputes, and more. My SPIN honors grant allowed me to focus on the meat of my work without worrying about my basic needs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks SPIN!

With my SPIN grant last summer, I worked at the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple. While there, my work focused on policy research, specifically on the opiate crisis. This was part of a larger project at the Center aimed at creating a policy map of the opiate prescribing laws in different states. I was part of a team of five interns, including other Temple students. Having a SPIN grant helped me to keep up with expenses for the summer, which made it easier to focus on the work.

Last summer, I worked with AEquitas Resource to support prosecutors who handle human trafficking cases. Specifically, I researched arguments against the admissibility of a victim's past prostitution acts in the context of sexual assault cases. My public interest internship was unpaid, and my SPIN grant helped me to offset the total amount of loans I had to take out for food and housing. I was very grateful to have financial support during a mentally taxing remote internship experience. Thanks SPIN!

As a 4-year JD/MSW student, I spent my 3L summer with National Legal Advocacy Network. This position gave me the opportunity to develop a better understanding of principles and practices around law and organizing. Among other things, I participated in virtual legal clinics for workers impacted by COVID-19, researched health and safety issues, and helped with a roundtable with lawyers and organizers on protected concerted activity. My supervising attorney also connected me with Up Against the Law Legal Collective, where I was able to help make an instructional video on contesting Code Violation Notices for those participating in protests following the death of George Floyd. My SPIN grant helped cover some of my meal costs at the end of the summer.