Public Interest Corps
The Public Interest Corps (PIC) is a community-building and leadership program designed to hold space for public interest-minded 1Ls and new transfer students who want to cultivate and be part of a supportive public interest community as they navigate their first year at Georgetown Law and beyond.
Community-Building
The core purpose of the Public Interest Corps is to provide support to public interest-minded 1Ls and new transfer students. PIC aims to bring students together around a common commitment to public interest law and to foster a strong sense of community, belonging, and inspiration among its members.
Community-building activities depend on the needs and interests of PIC members, but examples may include community service projects, conversations with upper-level students doing social justice work, and regular unstructured opportunities for forming and deepening social connection (e.g. coffee gatherings, neighborhood walks, game nights).
PIC does not specifically focus on public interest career programming (because public interest career programming and support are made available through OPICS to all students, regardless of PIC membership). PIC serves as a space where students can find peer support, resources, and inspiration from other students whose motivations for pursuing a law degree are similarly rooted in public service – recognizing the tangible and intangible needs that exist for public interest-minded students in their first year of law school, beyond the nuts and bolts of career exploration and job searching.
Leadership
Through a steering committee consisting of PIC student leaders partnering with OPICS staff, PIC offers students the opportunity to play a leading role in the vision, design, and execution of program offerings in the Spring of their first year at Georgetown and beyond.
Joining the Public Interest Corps
Early in the fall semester, all 1Ls and new transfer students are invited to preview PIC events as a way of meeting other public interest-minded classmates and to try out sample programming (put together by OPICS). Students who are drawn to the PIC experience after the the preview period can choose to apply to join PIC later in the year. Outside of the preview period, PIC is designed to be a student-driven community with activities that reflect the needs and desires of its members.