Seven undergraduate and five graduate students competed in the Ford School's 9th Annual Policy Pitch Competition in early September. In a TEDTalk style presentation, students gave three minute speeches highlighting their policy impact, lessons learned, and key deliverables from their internship experience. First, second, and third place winners were chosen by a group of celebrated alumni judges, and the audience selected an Audience Student Prize winner. See all of the photos from the event here.
Third place winner Isabella Cimmino (BA ‘27) reflected on her experiences for the Ford School's Policy Matters blog.
My name is Isabella Cimmino, and I am an undergraduate senior at Ford with an interest in promoting youth wellbeing and success through law and policy. Being truly vulnerable and honest, I want to share that my first time being involved with a courtroom wasn't actually for a prestigious internship and it certainly wasn't this past summer; it was as a child victim in a prosecuting case a few years ago. I experienced firsthand what it meant to hold the "victim" label and the negative feelings associated with it, but also the ability of someone with this label to speak out and provide statements that can influence the course of a defendant's life. In this unfortunate experience, I gained the unexpected positive outcome of making my voice heard using legal processes, and discovered a passion for providing the same opportunities for children and adults who cannot do so themselves.
This passion led me first to the Ford School, and then this past summer to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit. This organization's mission is rooted in pursuing justice and protecting the community and the SVU involves all cases involving child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Most of my work was quite confidential and traumatic, so I cannot share every detail of my assignments, but I had the opportunity to be involved in significant casework this summer. One of my main responsibilities in the SVU was reviewing thousands of jail calls between defendants and their loved ones, deciphering evidence that could be used as evidence for making guilty convictions. On one specific project, a partner and myself reviewed over 500 jail calls in a domestic violence case. This specific defendant had been charged before, but never convicted for domestic violence. While I cannot share the sensitive details of our findings, we found substantial evidence that we turned over to the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney (APA) for use in a conviction. I also assisted in youth-specific cases throughout the summer, which was meaningful to me as I plan to center my professional goals around youth advocacy. I worked on cases including the murder of a three-year old boy and the assault of a minor by her own family member when none of her other relatives believed her story. The experienced APAs taught me how to make a child feel comfortable and worthy when sharing their stories, and how to find the delicate balance between facts and feelings.
During my summer internship, I realized that making an impact on policy does not always involve completely reshaping the world—it just involves making substantial positive change for at least one person. I know that through our work, we did exactly that. In domestic violence cases we ensured the victim felt safe and protected from her aggressor, as well as the countless others who came before her and those who could've come after her without our intervention. I also know that our work allowed children and their families to share their stories in the pursuit of justice. Seeing a young girl feel comfortable enough to speak out for her safety and wellbeing with our support is exactly what needs to continue happening in order to protect individuals during their most formative developmental years.
From my own victim experience, I knew about the potential and power the law could have on ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our society. However, I now know that this power means nothing without the people behind it. These are the lawyers applying their intellect and passion onto effectuating positive change for individuals, families, and communities. This is exactly what I aspire to be. A lawyer who will use my voice, my policy background, and my experiences especially through this internship experience to protect others and ensure that their voices and needs continue to be heard.
Isabella Cimmino (BA ‘27) is a senior at the Ford School from Farmington Hills, MI. She is focusing on the intersection between leadership, human rights, and social change and hopes to pursue a legal career in youth advocacy. At U-M, Izzy competes for the University Figure Skating Team, serves as a Prospective Student Tour Guide, and is involved with multiple pre-law and volunteering engagements.