Torossian was grateful that the internship provided her with an inside look at the criminal justice system, taking her out of her comfort zone. An investigator took her to visit a client in the Northwest Correctional Facility in Saint Albans, Vt. She made field visits to the homes of witnesses to help conduct interviews and take statements. Early in her internship she was invited to a trial of a client accused of burglary. Sitting behind the defense table, she witnessed how difficult it was for public defenders to represent clients against deeply-resourced prosecutorial teams.

“We try to present each client as a whole, complicated person who is more than just the worst thing they ever did,” she explained.

Torossian is a dual sociology and political science major, and the internship experience bridged the gap between academia and real-world.

“In my high-level courses we talk about the difference between sitting in the classroom and talking about ways of solving problems and actually interacting with the people who are affected,” she said. “Both perspectives are valuable and inform each other.”

Her experience at VTPrivateye has already led to a job opportunity—a public defender she worked with has hired her part time as a research assistant. After graduation she is planning to work at a law firm for a year or two before moving on to  law school.