Josie Schutt

Major: Political Science

Summer Legal Intern at Kendall Wood Lowry and Kessinger

How did you learn about this internship opportunity?

I emailed them.

What is a piece of advice you would give someone in your major looking for an internship?

Even though it's very time consuming, cold email. If I didn't I would not have known about the opportunity.

What key responsibilities or projects have you taken on during your internship?

I learned multiple legal softwares. I accompanied the attorneys to court. I also helped them close out files.

How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals? How did being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue apply to your internship?

I helped me narrow down what forms of law I may want to pursue after law school. Being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue helped me manage my task load. I was used to the workload at my internship because it was similar to my workload at Purdue.

In what ways has the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported your internship journey? How has your participation in our Job-Ready program specifically aided your professional development?

Being a Liberal Arts student here at Purdue helped me find a club that gave me the courage and guidance to cold-email firms in my town. My English class here also helped me write correctly at my internship. My participation in the Job-Ready program helped me focus more on the little things in my internship, such as focusing on my surroundings so I could tell people over the Instagram takeover, because those little things ended up helping me a bunch, so I thought other people might like to know as well.

Could you highlight a standout aspect of your experience in the Job-Ready program that you find particularly noteworthy?

During my internship, I had the opportunity to speak directly to clients. Through that experience, I learned how to be empathetic while also guiding. As I am not a licensed attorney, there were things I couldn't guide them on, but with empathy, I told them to focus on what they can control, such as their mental health. This is one thing I really learned the importance of during my time here at Purdue.