Norah Wills on Indiana Bar Foundation Summer Internship

At the risk of sounding overly complimentary, the past few weeks I’ve spent as an intern at the Indiana Bar Foundation have surpassed my every expectation. I didn’t anticipate the extent to which I would enjoy my time here, as I’m more inclined towards the legal field than I am to marketing and development. All the same, despite only being here for 5 weeks, I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every experience the Foundation has graciously prepared for myself and my co-intern, Liam. 

On our very first day, we were taken out to lunch by Kim and Rachon, two members of the Marketing & Development team. We walked from the Foundation’s office to Bru Burger. This lunch held two new things in store for me: visiting Bru Burger, and eating onion rings. On our walk to the restaurant, I wasn’t aware that I would be having an onion ring for the first time, nor did I know that I would seriously enjoy it and bring the leftovers home with me. I’ve begun to consider this as a metaphor for my time as a Foundation intern. For a long time, I was scared to try onion rings – really, I was. But on my very first day of interning, I had one and I loved it. In a similar vein, there have been a lot of new experiences for me here, from learning about how a nonprofit functions to witnessing an oral argument before the Indiana Supreme Court. Even though these opportunities are new and can be, at times, intimidating, they are still that: opportunities. If I don’t speak up in front of an audience or try to further my career (in other words, take a bite of that onion ring), I am missing out on all of the amazing things this community has in store for me. 

I have been so lucky to meet the fantastic individuals that make up Indiana’s legal scene and even luckier to work closely with the Foundation’s incredible staff. Through my brief time here at the Foundation, I’ve learned to truly value all of the chances that life gives you. I already feel much more prepared to navigate all of the opportunities that may arise for me in the future.