This year, the Orange County personal injury law firm of Bisnar | Chase signed up to participate in a paid internship program for high school students from underprivileged areas. This wonderful program is titled Project SELF (Summer Employment with Law Firms) and is coordinated by the Orange County Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. This summer, our OC-ALA intern is Rachel Salinas, a senior from Segerstrom High School in Santa Ana.
Project SELF aims to provide high school students with the opportunity to become a paid intern at a local California law firm or law-related agency or business, giving them a unique and valuable educational experience. OC-ALA of course cannot achieve their goal of giving these youngsters this valuable opportunity without the willing participation of local law firms. Each law firm that signs up for this program can participate by employing one or more students for 30 hours a week during an eight-week internship at $2,000 per intern to cover the intern’s wages for the period of the internship. The program runs from June 22 through Aug. 14.
Rachel arrived at Bisnar | Chase last week. She says her dream is to start her own company. But right now, she says she is focused on getting the skills and the knowledge she needs to succeed. In fact, says Rachel, this is her first time in a "real office."
"I've never been in a professional office setting," she says. "I couldn't get this opportunity if not for OC-ALA and Bisnar | Chase because it's pretty hard for my family to get me into something like that. I'm really thankful for this opportunity."
Rachel says she was motivated to apply because of her sister, who got chosen through the Project SELF program to intern at a Santa Ana law firm.
"It was really awesome to see her wake up and get ready and go to work," Rachel says. "She had a wonderful experience, she learned a lot and I wanted the same thing for myself. I'm a very shy person. I get nervous when I have to talk to people. Sometimes, I stutter. But when I get out of here, I'm hoping to be a much more confident person with a new set of professional skills -- ready to face the world."
Good luck Rachel! We at Bisnar | Chase value this opportunity to work with you. I trust the internship at our firm will give you not only the learning experience you are looking for, but also the inspiration, motivation and the will to succeed. I hope you will walk out of our office a confident person who knows that she can accomplish anything that she puts her mind to.
SLS Consulting