PILI is excited to welcome Megan Harkins to our Alumni Network Leadership Council as the 2016 Intern Alumni Representative. PILI appoints one Intern and one Fellow every year from the most recent class to serve on the Council for a two-year term.
Megan is working on a dual Juris Doctorate and Masters of Social Work degree at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Last summer, she was the Jerome Gilson Named Intern at the Legal Council for Health Justice working with the Homeless Outreach Project. “Seeing LCHJ’s work make an impact on another person’s life was one of the most rewarding and fond memories of my time at LCHJ and in the PILI program,” Megan said.
Since her Internship, she has continued to volunteer at LCHJ and helped organize the second “Medical Records Marathon Day.” Earlier this spring, she began an externship at Equip for Equality. “I feel that I have been trusted with larger tasks and have been forced out of my comfort zone,” Megan said. “This has taught me how to problem solve and seek guidance when I really need it.”
Before law school, Megan worked at a mental health nonprofit and felt that the nonprofit environment was where she could make the greatest impact. “PILI has allowed me to follow through with my dreams of being involved with the public interest law community and has facilitated my connection with other like-minded individuals who continue to make a difference in the lives of Chicagoans,” she said.
Megan has made her commitment to service a priority from the beginning of her legal career. “I think the most important thing law students and other legal professionals can do is share the legal knowledge and expertise we have learned with the communities in which we live,” she said. “It is our duty as future legal professionals to develop a commitment to service early and continue to inspire subsequent generations to do the same.”