While working as an intern with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., earlier this year, political science major Gina Tette assisted in research for the criminal case against Guy Wesley Reffitt, the first defendant to be tried for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Tette transcribed recordings of Reffitt that were made by his son and used as evidence in the case. “It definitely made me want to go into prosecution,” says Tette, who is in her junior year of undergraduate studies at the Maxwell School. “I was seeing my work reflected in indictments. It was big stuff.”

This and other unique experiential opportunities afforded through the Maxwell-in-Washington program not only solidified Tette’s interest in pursuing a legal career but also brought into focus her aspiration to return to Washington, D.C., for a career in government.

“Washington is an amazing city. I’d love to work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office or really any unit in the Department of Justice,” she says. “This program is one of the most important experiences I’ve had and one of the most formative overall in helping me decide what I want to do in my career.”