Student Perspectives
laro, a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Studying abroad is also an excellent way to im- prove your language skills. There is no better way to gain command of a language than when it is absolutely required. For American law students isolated in a land where almost everyone speaks English, engaging in an internship where you must speak, write and read in another language in order to complete the work forces your sluggish, single language brain to switch into high gear. I worked with an office of the United Nations High Commis- sioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Costa Rica’s capi- tal. My Spanish improved by leaps and bounds, while I worked on some of the most fascinating projects to which I have ever contributed.
One day, a fellow Canadian intern and I were sent to the Costa Rican Federal Bureau of Immigra- tion. Our task was to identify and scan as many of their refugee status determination case files as possible so that the data could be analyzed as part of a study by the UNHCR. While we had been
informed of the diplomatic relationship with the Costa Rican government, we were not informed that we would face a barrage of hot, aggressive questioning in Spanish about our interest in their internal proceedings. It was a trial by fire.
Both the substantive work experience and skills I gained through this internship experience abroad have been invaluable. As in my case, many inter- national legal programs give students the opportu- nity to work with international bodies, NGOs, and international companies. These connections can be as valuable as the linguistic and substantive skills gained during your study abroad. To this day, I remain in contact with a number of UN officers I met. I hope to cultivate these relationships if I seek work with international organizations such as the United Nations in the future.
Well, I am already out of words, so I must con- clude. As my first year legal writing professor’s said: “Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em, tell ‘em, tell ‘em what you told ‘em! “So, here’s what I’m telling you: study abroad in law school.
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Don’t miss out on these amazing study abroad locations
Cayman Islands - Hong Kong - Greece Guatemala - Iceland - Israel Lithuania - Norway - Poland - Turkey
For more information about these programs, check out the 2015 Study Abroad Program Listings starting on page 29.
ILSA Quarterly » volume 23 » issue 2 » December 2014
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