Notes from the Field: Jeeihn Lee '17

Jeeihn Lee '17 interned at Lambda Legal during the 2015 fall term. The following is adapted from her internship report.

Lambda Legal is the nation's oldest and largest legal advocacy organization whose mission is to achieve the full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those living with HIV primarily through impact litigation. The organization also engages in public education and advocacy to support the work of its legal department.

Going into the internship, Jeeihn hoped to learn more about the work of impact litigation advocacy groups and issues affecting the LGBT community in general.

As a Community Education & Advocacy Intern, Jeeihn mainly worked with the Education and Public Affairs department. Her daily responsibilities consisted of providing administrative support to the department and working on independent projects. One of her main projects was an ongoing campaign to urge Texas to comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Jeeihn extensively researched the Act and the Department of Justice's enforcement standards while also contacting organizations in Texas to participate in the campaign.

Over the course of her internship, Jeeihn particularly enjoyed the community outreach work.

“I get a chance to actually engage our community base and remind myself for whom and for what I'm working for,” says Jeeihn.