Emma Marie Rieser

Describe the steps you took to obtain your internship.
   Using the skills that I have learned from my role as a Career Center Ambassador, I was able to land an awesome internship in the Sarasota County government. This position aligns with my career goals and will help me gain local connections in the city that will bolster my success as an attorney down the road.

How far in advance did you prepare and begin applying for your experiential learning opportunity?
    I began to apply for my internship in the beginning of January 2022. I applied for the position as a Career Center Ambassador in March of 2021. I earned the internship in August of 2021 and will be (sadly) ending it this month (May 2022).

If you used any Career Center services, resources, or events to obtain your internship, what were they?
   I used the knowledge that I have gained through my internship with the Career Center to help obtain my current internship in the Sarasota County government system. This was primarily drawn from our weekly Professional Development meetings. In addition to this, I used the résumé guide posted on the Career Center's website to strengthen my own prior to submitting it to my internship's application.

Describe some of your responsibilities or duties during your internship, and what a typical day was like "on the job".
      I intern at Sarasota County's Emergency Rental Assistance Program. My role is to review the applications that are submitted by Sarasota County residents. This includes copious amounts of documentation, including bank statements, 1040 Tax Returns, and leases. My team and I collaborate to evaluate each application and create a legal packet that demonstrates their eligibility for the program. We communicate with applicants in person, over the phone, and via email to clarify aspects of their application and uploaded documentation. Each morning, I arrive to the office and join our collaborative team meeting via Microsoft Teams. My coworkers and I discuss applications that are in the process of being verified, ask/answer questions, and share success stories. I am usually working on 5-10 cases at one time. After these meetings, I review their applications, work with other team members, reach out to applicants, and create what is known as a legal packet that determines their eligibility for our program to provide funding to them.

What are some major takeaways from your experience? How will these help prepare you for the next step after graduation?
   This internship is allowing me to gain experience researching case files and communicating with clientele.

Did this experience help clarify your career path? If yes, how so?
   Yes, this experience has allowed me to create connections in the Sarasota legal field that have motivated me to make my own mark in my hometown's community.