My search for the perfect internship began last October. I’m confident I want to pursue a law degree — or at least as confident as someone my age can be about their future — so I started by looking for positions at law firms that I might be qualified to fill.
To my dismay, most law firms only hire current law school students, even for entry-level roles. So, I decided to pivot.Â
Over the next few months, I reached out to law school professors for recommendations, contacted nonprofits, and explored virtually any organization with even a slight connection to the legal field.
After submitting well over twenty applications and sending numerous emails, I was left with three prospects, one of which was directly aligned with the type of law I’m interested in and also offered an opportunity to continue with my journalism. It was the perfect fit.
The application and interview process took another two months and required significant effort, but it felt worth it to me. I thoroughly researched the organization and was well-prepared for my formal interview. I quickly connected with my interviewer, who, like me, was an IB diploma holder and shared my passion for creative writing. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed the interview, but beyond that, I was genuinely excited to pursue working for this organization.Â
This opportunity was not only fantastic, but also reminded me that academic pursuits and resume-building experiences aren’t just tasks to check off — they can be deeply personally rewarding.Â
I was eager to join a company I believed was truly working for meaningful change. Additionally, I was promised a position where I would have a real say in the company’s publications. I could pitch ideas and write the content I was passionate about.Â
After my formal interview, I received a message a couple of weeks later informing me that I had gotten the position and would be in touch with the head of HR to sign a few short documents. I felt like my luck had finally turned! All the work I put into finding an internship for the last six months had culminated in this perfect opportunity.Â
But the email from the head of HR was not what I expected. To accept the position, I had to sign the organization’s “Articles of Faith,” agreeing to religious statements that were part of a religion I do not believe in. More than that, though, these statements included beliefs I fundamentally disagree with. At no point in the recruitment process was I informed of these articles, much less that I would be expected to accept them. I was devastated.Â
I still really wanted the position, so I consulted my closest family and friends for advice. The question that came up was, “Are you willing to lie about something important just to gain a perceived advantage in your career?”
Honesty has always been extremely important to me, and I felt uncomfortable putting myself in a situation where every article I wrote and published would place me in a moral dilemma.
Publishing my work under the organization’s stamp meant I would be aligning myself with their “Articles of Faith.” Ultimately, I decided that I would rather not have an internship at all than one that required me to compromise my morals.
There was so much pressure to find an internship that I’d forgotten the most important thing: to be true to myself. I firmly believe that a position conducive to my success in the legal field and in the professional world should not require me to compromise my morals. I want to become a lawyer to pursue justice and fight for those impacted by an often corrupt system. But before anything else, I want to do work I can be proud of.
If landing my dream job in the future required taking that internship, then maybe I was chasing the wrong dream.
Your work becomes a significant part of your life, but at the end of each day, you clock out. You should never clock out of your moral compass.I’m not sure if I’ll find another internship this summer, and if I do, it may not be as ideal. However, in whatever role I take on in the future, I’ll be able to say that I never sacrificed my values to get there.