I have been exposed to Family Law one way or another my entire life, since my mom is a Family Law lawyer, Guardian ad Litem, and Mediator. I have been going to court with her since I was little; I remember going to her office and “working” with her when I was little, and by “working” I mean either coloring or causing chaos. I have been going to Adoption Saturday with her for as long as I can remember. November is National Adoption Month, and many states and counties celebrate by having an Adoption Saturday. On the third Saturday in November, the court house opens from about 8 a.m. to noon, the court staff and the security folks volunteer their time, and the only courthouse business that day is adoptions. There is cake, there are flowers and balloons, and of course, there are beanie babies. Whenever there is an adoption done in Polk County (Iowa), the child always gets to pick a beanie baby to take with them to remember the day. I have a beanie baby from almost every adoption I have attended.
In February of 2013, I started to work for my mom at her law firm. This is when I had my first real calling to social work and the social sector. Since then I have worked with or interned with other family law lawyers and therapists who specialize in high-conflict families.
In February of 2022 I was working on my Senior Seminar paper on Parental Alienation. While I was writing this paper, I realized the intricacy, complexity, and frequency of various alienating behaviors that are present in almost every divorce and custody case. Despite the fact that all parents involved in custody matters are required to take a Children in the Middle class, these behaviors still happen regularly. As I worked on my research for my Senior Seminar, I thought to myself there should be a version of the Children in the Middle class for kids who are going through divorce as well. I then learned that the Iowa Center for Children’s Justice (ICCJ) actually does provide such a program. My mom connected me with Diane Dornburg, one of her best lawyer friends, and Diane was excited to hear that I wanted to help volunteer with the upcoming classes this summer. Diane also recommended that I apply for the FLIA fellowship.
Once I learned more about the FLIA fellowship, I was very excited. I felt really positive about my application process up until my second round of interviews with the partner organization, ICCJ. During the interview, Diane and Nichole (the director of the ICCJ) told me about the project they wanted me to complete this summer: a four to six-hour continuing education program about parental alienation and children who resist and refuse contact with a parent. Little did they know that I already had a solid background and foundation on the topic because of my Senior Seminar project. It was at that moment that I felt like a real contender for the position and that I actually had what it took to be a member of the summer 2022 cohort.
Spoiler alert: I was offered the position.