Name: Zoe Costanza
Class Year: 2025
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Manlius, NY
Internship Organization: Hiscock Legal Aid Society
Internship Title: Summer Undergraduate Intern
Location: Syracuse, NY
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
I am working in the immigration department at Hiscock Legal Aid Society (HLAS), a legal aid firm which is based in Syracuse, New York, and provides free legal services to clients throughout eighteen counties in central and northern New York State. During my time at HLAS, I’ve had the chance to observe client consultations, research legal issues, and learn more about the processes of the US immigration system. It’s been very interesting to see the wide range of immigration issues that people bring to HLAS. Clients can range from people asking for advice on securing a visa for their non-citizen spouse, to unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the United States. I’ve really enjoyed the chance to complete research about legal issues I was not previously familiar with, and learn more about how attorneys in the office ended up working in immigration law.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I applied for this internship because I wanted to gain experience in and learn more about the legal field. I am considering law school after I graduate from ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳, and this seemed like a great opportunity to learn if a legal career is the path I want to take. I wanted to work with an organization that really makes a positive impact on people’s lives, and the immigration department at HLAS seemed to accomplish that.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part of this internship has been the opportunity to sit in on client consultations. HLAS holds consultations both in the office and at outreach events. Attorneys often go into these meetings with only a basic idea of what the client’s immigration issue might be, so it’s very interesting to watch to see how quickly the attorneys can ask the right questions to learn more about the client’s history, and assess what their next steps should be. Most clients come in feeling worried and confused about their immigration status, so it is very gratifying to see them leave feeling more hopeful and knowledgeable about what they can do.
What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn't expect?
Something that I was not expecting from my internship was just how quickly immigration policy can greatly change, and create uncertainty throughout the field. During the first week that I was working, President Biden established a new Parole-in-Place program, which would allow undocumented spouses of US citizens to receive temporary protection and work permits, if they meet certain requirements. This is obviously beneficial for hundreds of thousands of people, but when the program was announced, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding its details and timeline. It was very interesting to see how different immigration organizations responded to the announcement of the rule, by releasing educational materials, hosting webinars, and sharing what information they did have despite the uncertainty. As a political science major, we often analyze the results of such programs long after they have been established, so it was interesting to see the early stages of such a program from a different point of view.
Career & Civic Engagement Center Political Science