Gabe Buyske-Friedberg ’20 Shares Stories from his Philly Courthouse Internships

By Amelia Yeager ‘20

When Gabe Buyske-Friedberg ’20 signed up to volunteer for a few clubs as a sophomore, he had no idea his initiative would eventually lead to internships crucial in determining his professional direction. Taking an early interest in volunteering with student organizations Partnership of East Knox and Kenyon and Off Campus Activities Programs in Psychology was his first step to what he now hopes will be a career in law. 

His engagement on campus with these efforts helped him secure his first internship in the field in 2018, working with the Philadelphia County Public Defenders Office. This past summer, Gabe took another major leap forward in realizing his aspirations by interning with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in the Jury Trials unit of Major Felonies.

“It feels like it was done in a series of five emails,” Gabe said about his initial outreach for an internship when presenting at a lunchtime session for fellow students last month. “I had never realized how saturated all the people around you are with access to these opportunities until I took that step to reach out.” 

Students interested in law, criminal cases, and how to find opportunities listened as Gabe shared stories from the courthouse and advice on his process. “I [started by contacting] a lawyer my brother knew and asked if I could visit the office, or if we could get coffee and talk about the job. She told me they were looking for help with sorting case files, so I signed up,” Gabe explained. This kind of initiative translated into an involvement in the Philadelphia County Public Defenders Office in 2018, during the controversial trial of Philadelphia-born rapper Meek Mill. 

This past summer, Gabe had an opportunity to see the other side as an intern for the District Attorney’s Office. Again, he credits the value of being proactive: “Emailing my brother’s lawyer and offering my help went so much farther than I imagined,” Gabe said. 

Part of Gabe’s day-to-day duties at the DA’s Office included filing subpoenas and reviewing case files, which he found a way to interpret through his English major. “The case files are just like huge, weird books,” he said. “They’re fragmented chapter books with different narrators, and you get to decide how the parts fit together.” Kenyon’s strong ties with the Knox County community also helped create a groundwork for Gabe’s passion for public law: “The DA’s Office looks for having a strong sense of community, which is what I was investing in when I got involved with volunteering.”

Gabe also got to monitor calls from prison as a result of asking to experience as much of the pre-trial process as he could. “If you just ask to try different things, they’ll often let you,” he said. “I’d ask if I could go to the courthouse in the afternoons and observe the litigation, then I’d ask to talk to people while the court was out of session and just ask them their thoughts on the trial. At one point, my wallet was overflowing with people’s business cards.”

Gabe plans on taking some time to pursue acting after graduation. After that, he’s looking forward to returning to the courthouse as a paralegal and then attending law school. For others interested in opportunities in law, he advised, “just reaching out for information—even when there isn’t an official application—is huge. You end up really distinguishing yourself in the field.” The application for Gabe’s 2019 summer internship didn’t require a letter of recommendation, but he supplied two anyway, one from his supervisor at the Public Defenders Office and one from a Kenyon professor. “If anything, it helps your file be that much longer,” Gabe said. 

For those interested in a career in law, don't miss the "What Law School is Really Like" session on October 17 with Kenyon parent Cynthia Ward-Stanley P’21, a law school faculty member at the College of William and Mary. For help taking inventory of your network, join the Kenyon Career Network.

Have you had a job or internship experience you’d like to share with others? Contact the CDO to set up a session to do so.