July 20, 2017
WASHINGTON - Going to school at Georgetown allows student-athletes the opportunity to experience life in the Nation's Capital, but this summer, senior women's soccer player Leah McCullough (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury) has had the opportunity to learn what it's like to work in the city.
McCullough is interning for Lawyers Without Borders, a non-profit organization that manages volunteering lawyers from around the world who offer pro bono service to rule of law projects, capacity building and access to justice initiatives.
Since classes ended in May, McCullough has commuted to her office near the Capitol, working full-time with Lawyers Without Borders. Her internship finishes up just before the Hoyas return for preseason on Aug. 3.
"I've always been interested in international law and international relations so I was very excited for this opportunity and I could see doing this type of work in the future," McCullough said. "Law school is an option for me after graduation, but getting this experience really gives me an idea of how I may want to shape my future."
Most of McCullough's work has involved case law research, in additional to editing for manuscripts and novels, creating promotional videos and developing documents for presentations. Since most of the work done by Lawyers Without Borders is centered in Africa and Asia, the large portion of the work McCullough has done is centered on those counties.
"My research has really focused on countries like Kenya, Tanzania and Nepal," she said. "It's pretty exciting work because there is always a new task to take on and I truly feel like I'm making a difference."
McCullough said one of the more interesting projects she had done was research on pro se cases in Kenya, those cases where one of the litigants serves as their own representative. "What made it extra interesting was learning that many women do not represent themselves, which was a helpful finding for our work in Kenya," McCullough said.
When she decided to come to school and play soccer at Georgetown, McCullough knew she'd have more opportunities to gain experience during her collegiate career and the experience with Lawyers Without Borders has been one she will not forget.
"It's really a great opportunity to be in the position and it's one of the benefits of going to school at a place like Georgetown," McCullough said. "We're in a city that has so much going on, there is so much history and it's just great to be able to take advantage of it."
The Hoyas, who won the BIG EAST Tournament Championship and finished last season with a 20-3-3 overall record, open preseason camp on Tuesday, Aug. 1. The team plays its first exhibition game on Wednesday, Aug. 9, hosting Quinnipiac.
