During the summer of 2025, I had the opportunity to participate in the SUNY Washington Internship Program through my home campus, SUNY Brockport. Over the course of eight weeks, I had the privilege of serving as an intern for Franklin Square Law Group, gaining hands-on experience in the tax and legal field and helping with the daily tasks of an attorney. Not only did the program allow me to gain first-hand experience for my future career path, but it also allowed me to create networking connections, new lasting friendships with my peers, and most importantly, it allowed me to solidify my path toward a career in accounting and law in our nation’s capital.
Franklin Square Law Group is a law firm that focuses on Real Estate, Elder Law, and Complex Civil Litigation, as well as other areas such as tax and piercing the corporate veil. The owner of the firm is Mr. Tyler King and during my eight weeks on the job, I worked closely with Mr. King and other law clerks on different administrative projects and paralegal work, closely relating to client cases and tax work. Being a legal intern gave me insight into my future career goals, and because of this internship, I am now inspired to attend law school after obtaining my CPA. Working with Mr. King opened my eyes to a profession I had never thought of, and I am grateful for all the mentoring I received.
There are many great perks in the Washington Program. Every Fridays, Dr. Powell and Ms. Cappelletti would take us on mini tours of the city. We would attend lectures and seminars, networking events, see monuments and museums, and even attend baseball games. Additionally, while travelling around DC can be a challenge, Dr. Powell was gracious enough to give the entire class a metro card, which allowed us to travel on the metro and buses when going to work, or attending Friday classes.
My absolute favorite Friday class would have to be the FBI headquarters tour. Not only was the tour a great experience learning about the FBI and the different branches that come with it, but we were also fortunate enough to have conversations with retired FBI agents in the building. This entire experience was everything I hoped for as I aspire to work for the FBI someday as a forensic accountant. I was able to look around and explore the building, and I even got a few LinkedIn connections when talking to the retired FBI agents. These agents gave me some great advice and tips and encouraged me to continue to pursue my lifelong dream of working for the FBI.
There were also a few other networking opportunities that I was able to partake in that were especially uplifting for an aspiring forensic accounting, like me. I had the honor of speaking with a few CIA and Secret Service agents in, and outside, of the White House, as well as scheduling a conversation with Ms. Melissa Presley, Supervisory Forensic Accountant with the FBI. All these professionals were very friendly and, most importantly, honest regarding what the next few years would look in this career path. They also shared some of their own personal stories on their journeys and career paths. I was grateful to talk to them, and this experience has inspired me to really fight for what I want out of my career.
The entire program is a great resource in gaining connections and networking with peers. I recommend this program to any student who is a Political Science major, wants to go to law school, or wants to get a head start in their future endeavors in most any profession. I walked into this program wanting experience with only a vague idea of a future career path, but emerged with knowledge, experience, connections, friends, and a better plan for my career. I am so excited to see what comes next for me in the future, and I can proudly say that the SUNY Washington Internship Program was a step in the right direction.