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Suffolk County District Attorney Division Chief Edward Heilig along with Vice President of the Long Island Hispanic Bar Association Dave Mejias, and representatives from Bethpage Federal Credit Union and Touro Law School have announced a new summer internship opportunity for Latino American law students as part of a proactive outreach for Latino American representation in law enforcement. Heilig also announced the generous donation by Bethpage Federal Credit Union to the Long Island Hispanic Bar Association to aide Latino American students.
“I’d like to thank Bethpage Federal Credit Union for exemplifying what genuine corporate citizenship means by providing these funds, through the Hispanic Bar Association, to two deserving Hispanic law students. Both students will, I assure you, work very hard this summer as they learn firsthand what it is we do as prosecutors and what our responsibilities are in protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system. Our interns accompany our ADA’s working on cases, they’ll meet and work with police officers, witnesses, detective-investigators, defense attorneys, and crime lab personnel; in short, they’ll become familiar with all facets of the job,” stated Division Chief Edward Heilig.
The donation will be divided evenly and awarded to two Latino Touro Law students to be chosen in May to participate in a non-paid summer internship at the offices of the Suffolk County District Attorney. The funds will be used to supplement the students’ income allowing them to devote their time to hands-on experiences interning at the District Attorney’s office will provide. Without the donation, the students will have to obtain full-time employment during the summer to financially assist their families.
“With high tuition rates internships become difficult for graduate students because they need to cover basic expenses,” said Linda Armyn, SVP Corporate Strategy Bethpage Federal Credit Union. We are proud to provide these stipends so the law students can gain the experience before they enter the workplace.”
“I am grateful for the District Attorney’s commitment to build better relations between the Latino community and law enforcement. The internship program and generous donation by Bethpage will provide two deserving law students the essential opportunity of learning law enforcement skills in the field when they may not otherwise be able to do so, as well as encourage them to stay in the law enforcement field where there is little Latino American representation.” stated Long Island Hispanic Bar Association Vice President, Dave Mejias
The two Touro Law students will be chosen by Touro Law School’s competitive fellowship process by a committee of faculty and administrators. Students who meet the criteria to qualify for the scholarship will fill out an application, including an essay on why they are interested in the internship. The summer internship program at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office will begin May 2012.
For more information on Touro Law School’s scholarship program log onto tourolaw.edu and follow the links. Log on to lihba.org to learn more about the Long Island Hispanic Bar Association’s Community Service Fund or call 1-877-SI-LIHBA.
Source: Suffolk County Government press release dated March 7, 2012
