During her final academic quarter at the University of Washington (UW), senior Sana Shetty spent considerable time in court, not due to legal issues, but as an intern with the Gender-Based Violence Unit of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. This marked Shetty’s second internship, complementing her double major in gender, women & sexuality studies and law, societies & justice, along with a minor in human rights.
Shetty’s hands-on experiences outside the classroom have been as crucial to her education as her academic studies, challenging her in unexpected ways. Originally planning to become a prosecuting attorney, Shetty’s internships have led her to reconsider her career path.
An Early Start Through Running Start
Raised in Snoqualmie, Washington, Shetty completed her last two years of high school through Running Start, a program that allows high school juniors and seniors to take college courses. She graduated with both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree. This early leap enabled her to focus on upper-division courses upon entering UW, where she quickly declared majors in the Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies (GWSS) and the Department of Law, Societies & Justice (LSJ).
“LSJ and GWSS both do a good job of showing the real-world implications of things,” Shetty explained. “GWSS looks at how we understand various rights and who they actually apply to. LSJ asks how those rights are acknowledged in legal systems, or how we should work to have them acknowledged.”
A Quarter in León
Through her LSJ major, Shetty spent a quarter in León, Spain, at UW’s León Center. The study abroad program focused on Spanish law in relation to the rights of women and persons with disabilities. Living with a host family in a city where few spoke English, Shetty immersed herself in Spanish and navigated the challenges of standing out as a South Asian woman.
“The first month in León was difficult, but my host family was supportive, and I found the strength to change my mindset,” Shetty recalled. “Once I accepted that I couldn’t change how people looked at me, I was able to really enjoy my experience there. That in itself was a learning experience.”
Discovering Answers Through Internships
After returning from León, Shetty interned with US Representative Pramila Jayapal’s office, where she reviewed constituent communications. This experience gave her insight into public concerns but also made her realize that politics wasn’t the best avenue for enacting the change she envisioned.
Her subsequent internship at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office provided firsthand exposure to the real-world application of issues discussed in her GWSS courses. She assisted attorneys and paralegals, and learned about the emotional toll of handling cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, firearms, and child abuse.
“It’s really intense stuff,” Shetty said. “It’s ridiculously heavy. Many lawyers advised me that to pursue this line of work, one needs a strong support system and the ability to compartmentalize. This insight made me question whether I wanted to go to law school.”
Despite these challenges, Shetty decided to apply to law school, with a focus on human rights legal work rather than direct trial attorney roles. She feels that her education at UW has equipped her well for any career.
“At the UW, I got to be in classes with students who were as passionate as I am about what they want to do, thinking about how we can take what we’ve learned into the real world to do something useful,” Shetty said. “I believe the things I’ve learned apply to any career you could pursue, to make it more equitable and accessible.”
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