Sarah Drury, 2L Jubilee Campaign
Refugees/Religious Freedom
Washington, DC
My first experience in Fairfax was getting lost. It must have been a sign of things to come… Since starting my internship, I have more fully realized how much of an amateur I am when it comes to law and human rights, and I frequently feel lost -like I have no clue what my next step should be or where I should go. However, this is proving to be a terrific growing experience for me as I am forced to rely even more heavily upon God to provide the strength for me to accomplish the tasks I am given. As much as I wish I knew more about what I was doing, I have very much enjoyed working for Ann Buwalda, the director of Jubilee Campaign. She is a superb model of living a life dedicated to helping others. I am humbled that I have this chance to get to work for her and see firsthand what working in the human rights field is like.
Since beginning my internship a little over three weeks ago, I have attended various Congressional hearings. One such hearing was the emergency hearing on Chen Guangcheng. Getting to hear Chen call in during the meeting was definitely one of the highlights of my summer so far! I’ve also been able to attend various press conferences and meetings relating to human rights issues, all of which have been held in Washington, DC. As I had never previously visited Washington, navigating my way around had initially sounded daunting. However, I have always managed to find my way to my destination (even on time, I might add!), and I have thoroughly enjoyed the chance to see quite a bit of Washington! I have discovered that I love riding the metro (grungy carpets and all) and that the absolute best way to see a city is to walk through it. Whenever I find my way to a new location by using a new line of the metro and walking, I feel like a 16 year old who has just received her driver’s license. That arriving on time and in one piece to a destination seems like such a triumph for me perhaps has something to do with my notoriously horrible navigation skills… ironically, this is one area of my internship in which I do not feel lost! J
At the office, I have been working on researching issues related to violence in the northern states of Nigeria. During my first two weeks, I was given the task of researching Nigeria and helping to prepare a preliminary draft of an analysis on the interim report on Nigeria by the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC). Of course, the analysis that was actually submitted to the ICC had been heavily edited by my superiors, so I only claim “participation,” not “credit” for it. J It was definitely a learning experience, as I had about 3,000 pages (plus online material) to read before I began writing what turned into a 22 page rough draft within the two weeks. Currently, I am working on a campaign to get a terrorist organization (one which has killed over a thousand people) on the Foreign Terrorist Organization list. It is difficult to not be discouraged and overwhelmed with how much I have to learn before I can be effective in this field. But, at the same time, I am very grateful for the opportunity I have to begin learning as much as possible. I am also grateful for a God who is always faithful. I have decided that I don’t get lost, I just embark on adventures – ones which have destinations that may often be surprising. I look forward to my next adventure here in Fairfax or Washington!
– Sarah Drury, 5/24/12