Summer Mentorship Component

Literal (Know)Judge Daniel Lopez, West Covina Criminal Court
Phone: (626) 813-3216
Hours: 4

My duties at the courthouse were merely to observe court proceedings. In between hearings, the Judge and I would discuss current issues in the field of criminal law and he would walk me through the life of a criminal court justice.

(Interpretive) 
After some thought, I decided definitively that if I were to pursue law, I would pursue civil law. After witnessing a real criminal court in action, I understood that such a focus is not for me. This was truly the most important thing I got out of the experience. It helped me to see and understand my career desires and goals in a way that was not so abstract. It also made me legitimately question whether law was right for my Senior Project or for my life after school at all. I love the law-I know a lot about it, I admire it, I think I would be a good defender of it. But I also realized I wanted to step out of my comfort zone a little bit.

Literal (Need to know)
My experience raised the following questions-
1. Would I truly be a good criminal lawyer with my temperament? That is a very serious job.
2. Am I just choosing this topic because I know a lot about it?
3. Am I just choosing this topic because it'll easier than Bill Clinton for me to get service learning?
4. Am I just taking the easy way out? What kind of a person am I??

(Applied)
In the end, I decided that my senior year was not going to be about me taking the easy way out. So I did a complete, total shift in topics-I decided to pursue physics. One cannot simply get tired of physics, I decided.

Literal (Part II)
Unfortunately, one cannot simply get service learning in the summer in the field. I spent nearly all summer trying to contact professors-I live just minutes away from Caltech, so I tried the head of the physics department, Professor Kenneth Libbrecht. Nothing. I tried another professor, Marc Kamionkowski from the Astrophysics department. Nothing. It would appear they do not check their email during summer break.

I also live quite close to JPL, and know several people who work there. Unfortunately, they are mostly engineers and not quite in my field of interest. Several said they would contact me if they found a suitable person, but have yet been unable to do so, as I caught them in a busy summer.

I tried the head of the physics department at Cal Poly, Professor Steven McCauley. He did respond after a few days, confirming my fears-no one is around during the summer. By then, I had just returned from a trip and it was really too late. He gave me the names of two professors he recommends, Professor Alexander Rudolph and Professor George Rainey. I contact them both, but since it took Professor McCauley five days to respond I do not expect them to respond for a bit. This is all quite tragically frustrating for me, you must understand.

Applied (Part II)
I plan on strolling up to the Cal Poly physics department the first day of school (after I try calling the professors) and seeing if anyone is there to give me an audience. In my experience as a Young Scholar the professors at Cal Poly have always been nice to me. I will likely do my mentorship hours up there, as the program is quite extensive and respected. If for some reason that doesn't work out, I will be marching over to Caltech and hoping for an audience there (after I call of course. I did try calling in the summer but they have all disappeared, off into the hidden dimensions of space for the summer.)

Interpretive (Part II)
I think you ask for service learning because often the abstract picture in your mind is not the way it is in real life. Seeing something in action can radically change your perspective, and suddenly what you thought you wanted isn't anymore (as evidenced by my courtroom experience.) This is important, because I truly believe your Senior Project should be about something you know you won't get bored of or burn out halfway through. I saw this happen quite a bit with my senior cohorts last year. I am determined that this be a year I can be proud of (much like the planned "summer of George" on that one Seinfeld episode, only I will actually follow through.)

I hope you will understand why I could not complete my service learning this summer. I will gladly add the 6 unfinished hours to the 50 and pray I won't be judged too harshly. No body would give Einstein a job at first either. Only they weren't on summer break tunneling through space-time, they were just anti-Semetic. So I suppose I don't have it all that bad.