by Sarabeth Yoder
Hi. I’m the law school’s resident puppy fanatic. I know which law students have dogs (creepy, yeah), and my Facebook is plagued with puppy paraphernalia from my enabling classmates, increasingly around finals time.
Naturally, I gravitated toward my puppy obsession when I chose my summer externship. I earned six law credits working for Hearts of Gold Service Dogs and NIOSH ProjectROVER (Returning Our Veterans to Employment and Reintegration). The researchers and service dog trainers needed better understanding of service dog laws, and I answered their questions and guided them. I felt so valued working there, and, of course, I interacted with plenty of puppies. It was the neatest experience helping an organization benefiting people with disabilities, and the researchers I helped were extremely grateful for law expertise. I’m glad I sought them out—it was a one of a kind experience that taught me so much.
Moral of the story: seek out something you love to do, something you get excited about, something that makes you unique. If you love dogs, Hearts of Gold has a nonprofit it wants to start and research it needs. It’s a wonderful cause you can earn credit for in a summer or semester externship. Boost your resume, find something exciting, get some credit, and prepare for a summer job to smile about.
For more information about Hearts of Gold, contact Barbara Meade at bhm8@cdc.gov.
