Hawks Hired highlights the accomplishments of RWU graduates as they finalize the next steps in their career journeys. Liv is currently a full time Legal Advocate for Disability Rights Rhode Island (DRRI). Read on to learn more about her next chapter since graduation.
What was your program of study at RWU? My programs of study at RWU were Cultural Studies and Psychology.
Graduation year? I graduated RWU in 2023.
Where is your next adventure? (Company/School and Role) I was recently hired full-time as a Legal Advocate for Disability Rights Rhode Island (DRRI).
What are you most looking forward to in this new role? In this new role I am most looking forward to learning from both DRRI staff and the clients we work with. Disability justice is at the center of my role at DRRI, and I have a lot to learn about what it means to be an advocate.
What was the process like of landing this job/next opportunity? During my final semester at RWU I began interning with DRRI. As an intern I worked on a variety of projects including outreach, commenting on state laws and regulations, and assisting the attorneys with client work. This role furthered my passion for disability justice. At the end of the semester, following graduation I realized that I still had so much to learn leading me to extend my internship through the summer. At the end of the summer, I was lucky to be offered a full-time position as legal advocate.
Who helped you during your job search/graduate school process? This job opportunity would not have been possible without my internship experience. During my junior year at RWU I learned about the Washington Internship Institute (WIIDC) through the Center for Career and Professional Development at RWU. This is when my experience with Protection and Advocacy (P&A) began in Washington, D.C as an intern for the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), the national membership association for the P&A/CAP network. I worked closely with NDRNs public policy team to research, track, and comment on legislation helpful to the P&A network. It is this role that sparked my interest in the work that DRRI does on the state level, bringing me back to Rhode Island to intern at DRRI while finishing my last semester of Undergrad. The connections I made throughout my internships lead way to my current position at RWU and helped me narrow my interests.
What advice do you have to students who are in the process of finding a job/going to graduate school? My advice for students who are in the process of finding a job/going to graduate school is to make strong connections. It is so important to be involved and to develop relationships while completing your undergraduate degree. In almost all my job/internship interviews I was asked about my involvement at RWU and was able to connect my role in different clubs and experiences to the tasks in that specific job/internship. Additionally, very often internships turn into full-time positions, which is why it is important to search for internships and explore different options. You have the ability to test out different fields and job roles through internships so that when you graduate you know what your passion is.
Want to share your next steps with the CCPD? Email Kevin (kdeeb@rwu.edu) in the CCPD to learn more about sharing with us!
