Julia Garcia: InTERPShip Academy Spotlight

Maryland women’s golf’s Julia Garcia is expanding her skillset and furthering her professional development with the help of Maryland Made’s InTERPship Academy.

The InTERPship Academy is designed to help student-athletes at the University of Maryland pursue internship opportunities in their fields of interest. This summer, 37 student-athletes are participating in the program. 

The academy runs from June 2 to July 25. Participants are required to work 15 to 20 hours per week, complete four development sessions and write four journal entries about their experiences. Their final project will involve creating a presentation about their overall experience in their respective internships. 

Garcia is working as a legal intern at Ward & Co. Law Firm. She described her experience so far in a Q&A with umterps.com.

Why did you apply to be a part of the Maryland Made InTERPship Academy?

“I applied because I wanted to gain more professional experience in the industry I want to pursue. I wanted to be part of InTerp because not only did they help me in finding an internship I might otherwise not have been able to get, they also aid in other professional development sessions throughout the summer and are a source of support in my professional growth.”

What are your current roles and responsibilities at your internship site?

“At my internship, I have been learning how a law office works. So far, I have worked at the front desk, shadowing and working with the administrative assistants. I have also worked with the paralegals to learn about their roles and better understand how the practice works. I have also been doing a lot of hands-on work with a filing project we are working on, which involves a lot of cleaning and scanning files.”

What are you looking forward to learning the most this summer at your organization?

“I am looking forward to understanding the different practice areas that my firm does, such as real estate, estate planning and tenant issues, in order to have a better understanding of what kind of law I might want to practice. I am also looking forward to going to court with the attorneys and learning more about that process.”

How will this internship help support your future career aspirations?

“This internship will give me critical experience working in the legal field before I plan to attend law school. This is an experience that a lot of individuals don’t get to have, so I am excited about this opportunity to best prepare myself for the future. This internship will also allow me to learn a lot about an industry that I don’t completely understand. I will get to learn about the specific roles attorneys have in a law office and learn from them and the other staff, as well as contribute to the work done at the firm.”

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to pursue a career in this industry?

“I would tell someone looking to go into the legal industry that there are a lot of ways they can prepare themselves and learn about the industry before going to law school, such as getting internships, joining clubs and reaching out to those in your network to learn. I think it’s important people explore these pathways before making a commitment to pursuing the industry.”

Provide any additional information you’d like to share about your internship, organization and your opportunity this summer through Maryland Made.

“This is my second year doing InTERPship, and it is an incredible experience! I don’t think it’s too early for anyone to get professional experience, and I would highly recommend that all student-athletes apply to the program!”