Of all the things I have done, I think this is probably one of the most valuable things. I have learned a lot from my internship, and I am still doing it.
First, I was interning with the mayor, Mayor Joseph Cobb, of Roanoke City. I worked with him and his assistant, Kelly Dalaski, and attended events and council meetings to learn more about what the city was doing, how it ran, and what it was like to be mayor. I learned a lot about politics and what it actually means to run a city the size of Roanoke. Hot topics such as school funding, flock cameras, and homeless populations were top of the list of conversation starters for the office. I also shadowed the City Clerk and her office to look into records storage. The city keeps the records in the main library in downtown Roanoke, and I had the pleasure of seeing all the historical documents of the city, some dating as far back to the 1890s when the city was known as Big Lick. It was fascinating seeing the records and all that the city has gone through in the span from 1890-2026.Â
Next, Mrs. Dalaski connected me with other offices in the city. I had the pleasure of meeting the city attorney and some of the people in her office. I shadowed Mrs. Lalita Bram-Poindexter in some of her Department of Social Services (DSS) cases. I got to see the intricate processes that go into foster care, regaining custody, and what it means to be in foster care from the legal side. I then shadowed Mrs. Kimberly Beamer, one of the assistant city attorneys, and saw some truancy cases she works with. I think these were really interesting, seeing the legal side of truancy, going to school, and parenting. It was very hopeful to see that some of the children are improving with the resources that are provided to them and that they were improving. A lot of those children just need some counselling and help and seeing it pay off is great. I also saw some cases in which children were removed from parents and put into foster care since the parents were unable to care for them and unable to get them to school. It was upsetting seeing families separated like that, but it was insightful to know the legal side of truancy and what it means for both the parents and the children legally. I learned more about the charges that parents are able to be charged with if they are unable to get their children to school and the amount of jailtime they can serve. It was really interesting seeing this side of the law as well.
I really enjoyed shadowing the attorneys in the office and look forward to working with them more in the future. I think it was very valuable to learn more about the city's legal system and how the city works.