![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/cfv\/files\/2019\/05\/Kieffer-274x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nby Maggie Kieffer<\/p>\n
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When I walked into the first day of my internship with the Project GRACE Help Desk, I was just kind of thrown into the work. Over the course of the semester I have had the privilege of helping some really patient, kind, wonderful people; and when I had to deal with someone who was less kind or less patient, I took a deep breath and realized how incredibly overwhelming that first day learning about expungement was for me. And I\u2019m a college-educated adult who wants <\/em>to go into this profession. I always try to think about the process from the perspective of the person on the other side of the desk. These individuals \u2013 often African American men and women or poor white individuals \u2013 made mistakes within a system that doesn\u2019t always work in their favor. Often times, I have heard stories about men and women who were charged with crimes because of their economic status or race, rather than on the credibility of their character. I have even seen black men come in with the same crimes as white men, but charged with higher level convictions on a first-time offense than a routine white offender. I have been confronted with errors in the system I want to enter professionally for the rest of my life. And, now that my semester is over, I am faced with the fact that I am one step closer into being a part of the system. This mentality of looking at a legal problem from the accused persons\u2019 or convicted persons\u2019 eyes is something that will forever impact my life, and I have this internship with the CFV and Help Desk to thank for that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Maggie Kieffer When I walked into the first day of my internship with the Project GRACE Help Desk, I was just kind of thrown into the work. Over the course of the semester I have had the privilege of helping some really patient, kind, wonderful people; and when I had to deal with…<\/p>\n