The 2017 Class of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Interns recently completed their summer of service. The class was honored at a reception held July 25, 2017. The featured speaker at the reception was Sharon Lopez, Esq., President of the PA Bar Association and a member of the first MLK class of interns twenty-five years ago. 

Below are videos featuring Sharon Lopez' remarks at the reception and the remarks of intern Jessyca Byssainthe, a third-year law student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, who spoke on behalf of the Class of 2017. Also included in the playlist is a video of the entire program.

Others offering remarks at the event included Arlene Marshall-Hockensmith, the coordinator of the MLK, Jr. Program, James DeAngelo, President of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. Board of Directors and Sam Milkes, Executive Director of PLAN. Each of the interns was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for their service and a commemorative paperweight.

The interns honored included:

• Chantel Briggs
  Community Justice Project
   
• Jessyca Byssainthe
  Neighborhood Legal Services Association
   
• John Harris
  Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania
   
• Emma Jobinpicard
  North Penn Legal Services
   
• Marissa Lawall
  Pennsylvania Health Law Project
   
• Supriya Philips
  MidPenn Legal Services
   
• Deokhee Ryu
  Philadelphia Legal Assistance
   
• Liam Thomas
  Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project
   
• Chandra Ulinfun
  Regional Housing Legal Services
   
• Lauren Wilmer
  Community Legal Services of Philadelphia
   
• Elizabeth Wolfe
  Laurel Legal Services

The event also featured the release of the 2017 edition of The Drum Major, a collection of essays prepared by the participants in the Martin Luther King Internship Program reflecting on their summer working in legal services. The 2017 Drum Major can be viewed by clicking here.

We thank the interns for their summer of service and wish them the best as they continue their quest to embark on a career in the law.