The Beginning of a Strenuous, Stressful Journey…

The weeks here seem to be flying by! I can hardly keep my days straight and remember what I have been doing for the past week. The biggest event that occurred since the last journal is that I attended a Supreme Court hearing. The question at hand was whether a prisoner had a constitutional right to biological evidence after a conviction. I read that forty-four states allow it–this case came from Alaska, a state that does not allow prisoners this right. I have never been a big political science person, but this was really a neat opportunity. The Justices were only a few feet from me, and it was different than I expected. They were sarcastic yet funny and asked so many questions it made my head spin! I could not tell 100 percent which way they were leaning. The defense attorney brought up a good point when he asked why the prosecution would not allow his client access to this DNA when the prosecutor said the defendant was “slam-dunk” guilty. The defendant originally waived his rights to DNA tests at trial and later pleaded guilty, possibly to win parole, argued his defense attorney. A decision has yet to be made.

Angie and I waiting in the frigid snow storm for the Supreme Court hearing (I look like a boy….).

My friends came in town this past weekend, and while I enjoyed their visit, it made me homesick. I love D.C.; it just does not have my family and friends here. While they were here, we visited the White House, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. Although I have seen these before, they will always be breathtaking to me. Of course, we could not leave out the quintessential shopping in D.C.!

Me, Missy, and Angel at The White House

The Reflecting Pool was emptied for some reason, so everyone walked through it. Missy and I danced in it.

I came to a realization recently that I’m not sure what I want to do after undergraduate, and that I might take a year off from school before pursuing any other higher education since I can not decide between law school and graduate school. I have never even considered this option. My friends being here only added to my frustrations about everything. I loved that they came and really enjoyed their company, but I feel as if everything is going to be a whirlwind when I go back to Memphis. This is the beginning of a long, arduous process that will probably end in many stress breakouts and a huge consumption of comfort foods.

I spoke to an attorney the other day that took a year off and said it was the best decision of her life. She told me that many students come out of their education with the grades, but not the experience – and some employers are not impressed unless you have the experience with it. I plan on speaking with my attorneys later this month about everything they went through with law school. The attorneys are there for reasons other than work!

On a lighter note, Yes and I tried this so-called happy hour in the District a couple weeks ago and we were not impressed. It was probably because we ordered the drinks that were not on special and sat in a corner by ourselves. After our not-so-happy happy hour, we hit up a Thai eatery at the very end of King Street because we were starving. Let me tell you guys – best food ever and on top of that, best drinks that were inexpensive! I will try other happy hours to let you legal ones know which are the best.

Yes and I found the riverfront on King Street!

As for the civic engagement part of TWC, I can’t seem to resist the urge to keep signing up for projects! I already participate in Books to Prisons every Wednesday (for those of you in D.C., think about stopping by sometime! The address is on the website…take the red line to Dupont, then walk down P Street until you get to 16th. It is on the corner in a church, and starts at 6:30pm.), an organization that receives letters from prisoners around the country requesting reading materials and the organization, in return, sends those books per their requests. Check them out if you ever get a chance: http://www.quixote.org/ej/bookstoprisons/ , it’s a nice organization. The letters sometimes are brief and to the point; others tell their life stories.

I’ve also volunteered with Hope and a Home. I, along with others, entertain the children of parents who participate in workshops to create stable and strong households for their families (http://www.hopeandahome.org/). Hope and a Home is comprised of different elements that enable low income families to make positive changes in their lives. For example, they offer transitional housing, educational services, employment training, and much more.

I planned on attending an event tonight with House of Ruth, but thought I was coming down with a cold. I didn’t want to get the children sick if it was a cold – our job as volunteers was to play with the children. House of Ruth provides services to women, children, and families who are triumphing over domestic violence, homelessness, mental health disorders, and substance abuse (http://www.houseofruth.org/). The CFSA has ties to House of Ruth, and this is how I initially found out about the organization.

Another project I am starting on March 30 is volunteering with Offender Aid and Restoration. They initially offered me an internship placement, but I had already accepted at the OAG. OAR is located in Arlington, VA (http://www.oaronline.org/oar/index.asp) and offers assistance to offenders and ex-offenders in order for them to transition smoothly back in society. They provide an array of services such as supervised community service, reentry aid through classes and programs, employment counseling, and support for the offender’s family.

Advice for the day:

Always keep snow boots handy! They look ridiculous, but you never know when you’ll need them (such as last Monday during the snow storm…).