Writing a final summary on an internship packed full of learning presents a challenge. Several new sub-cultures, which I only theoretically knew existed, emerged from my conscious to my daily interactions. In particular, I knew that Georgia has a judicial system that includes juvenile courts. This summer I learned that the Juvenile Court system is a very special and sometimes very different sub-culture of the general Georgia Judicial System. I also learned that the people who work in the Juvenile Court have a passion for children and families. Another sub-culture that I had only heard about and never had much contact with is those living in poverty. I heard the news and read the papers about the struggles of the poor. This summer I learned that "the poor" are people with faces, emotions, and life-stories just like me; however, they have lived very different lives and have very different outlooks on life -- outlooks from which I can learn. So, I will attempt to summarize my experience in intellectual and life learning.

I spent a great deal of time in the courtroom this summer. I learned the difference between delinquency and deprivation proceedings. Within delinquency proceedings, I learned about detention hearings, arraignments, adjudications, and dispositions. At each stage, the juvenile must have a parent or guardian present. On several different occasions, the parent or guardian would not come to court with their child, and the Judge would ask me to act as the child's guardian during the hearing. I felt very inadequate because I did not know the child and in five minutes time I could not begin to understand this child and try to help them in the courtroom. I learned that parental involvement in a child's life is of utmost importance. I also learned that one of the most common characteristics among children in delinquency proceedings (and also in deprivation proceedings) is a single parent. I can count on my hands how many proceedings I sat in where both parents were involved in the child's life and still married. For the sake of our children, our society needs to encourage marriage and parenting skills.

On the deprivation side, I observed shelter care and deprivation hearings. Again, one of the most common characteristics of families involved in the deprivation side of the Juvenile Court is single parent families or mom and dad no longer married to one another. One big frustration with the deprivation proceedings is the "process." Yes, the best interest of the child is supposed to be paramount in the "process" of deprivation proceedings. However, I have observed in several cases that paperwork, policy, and too much talk and too little action slow the process of getting the children the help they need when they need it. On a more positive note, I learned that the Juvenile Court does always try to act in the best interest of the child, while at the same time the Court tries to protect the interest of the parents involved. Notice and the right to be heard are very important, and the judges make sure both rights are upheld, while also protecting the right of safety for the children.

Not only have I learned a lot about the juvenile law and juvenile court processes and procedures, I have also learned about the special people involved in the juvenile court. From judges, the SAAG, District Attorneys, defense attorneys, DFCS case managers, and CASA volunteers to the children and the families, everyone involved in the juvenile court has a passion and concern for children. Although families do not always properly care for the children, each family has needs that, if met would likely help them care for their children.

I served as a guardian ad litem in several different cases. In this capacity, I interacted with children and families and saw first-hand the negative effects and hardships of poverty, single parenting, domestic violence, alcohol, and drugs. Parents desperately need to be educated on the effects of all these factors on their children's lives. Parents make bad choices, and their children must bear the consequences. The children I worked with must endure the pain of their parents using drugs and being abusive or their mom getting drunk and neglecting them to provide for their own needs or their mom choosing a boyfriend over them. These children are not just kids we read about in newspapers, they are real and they have real hurt and pain. They need adults who care about them and who will advocate for their needs. I think that most people who live in comfortable middle-upper to upper class homes have no clue about this whole other culture. I received an education this summer; an education that I hope will impact the rest of my life and career. People are hurting, needs must be met, and I have been given the opportunity to help meet those needs.

With knowledge and awareness comes responsibility. I feel the responsibility to use what I learned as a guardian ad litem and Juvenile Court intern in my daily interactions with people and in a career as a child advocate. I am not sure exactly what my career path will be, but I am sure it will include advocating on the behalf of children. I want to help children like AJ who, after building a relationship with her as her guardian ad litem, now thinks she can go to college. I want to help children like BG, a 4-year-old adorable little girl who has been taken away from her mom, but desperately wants and needs to be with her grandparents. In BG's case, her grandparents are fit, willing, and ready to take her in, but the "process" is so slow BG has been separated from the only family she knows for 10 weeks. As an intern and lay guardian ad litem without much authority, I have tried to get the case managers to move faster on this case, but I have been unsuccessful. Maybe as an attorney one day I will be able to help kids like BG even more effectively. I want to help more children like HM, whose mother chose her boyfriend over her daughter. HM is hurting and wants to go home, but we have been able to talk and build a relationship. These children taught me and reinforced my prior knowledge that each life has deep value and must be protected.

Another meaningful lesson I learned this summer is that "cases" are not just "cases," they are people's lives. Each person is a human. The lives of each of the people I came into contact with in this field are being or have been turned upside down. To those working in this field, the same problems with different twists are heard almost every day, and the Juvenile Court processes and procedures are routine. To each of the children and families, the problems they have are not normal or routine; the Juvenile Court process they must go through is new and unknown. I hope I never forget that the problems I am discussing with families are the world to these families. I might hear a lot of "cases" everyday and I might get to go home at night and leave everything behind me, but to each person and family their world is coming apart and when they go home they must continue to deal with the hurt and pain. I need to be sensitive and respectful. I need to remember where each person is coming from and what they may be dealing with. I need to remember that each person is not familiar with the Juvenile Court or DFCS and probably feels confusion and pain. I am working with people in some of the hardest times of their lives, and I hope I never let that become routine.

Since deciding to attend law school, I have been interested in child advocacy of some sort; however, I never knew exactly what that meant. After observing the Juvenile Court proceedings and working directly with children and families, I have a better grasp of the players involved and how the system works. I also have a stronger resolve to use my law degree to advocate for children and families. I want to learn both the delinquency and the deprivation side of the juvenile court and all the intricate details of the Juvenile Law. I want to dedicate my career to child advocacy and the law.