When I first heard about the Connect Employer Trek Program at the Fleishman Center, I
wasn’t certain about what to expect. I was very curious about the opportunity and wanted to get a clearer picture of what careers in law and government actually look like as a PPL student preparing for law school.
Walking into the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York —
arguably the most prominent government office in the country — I wasn’t fully prepared for the experience that awaited me. Hearing from Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Wolf was one of the most memorable parts of the whole experience. He spoke about the precision required for federal prosecution, emphasizing the work done at Southern District specifically because of the nature of the cases they receive and the level of collaboration that is involved between legal teams and federal agents in order to build a case from the ground up. We also heard from a panel of paralegals and federal agents, which gave me a firsthand look at the collaboration of teams and how different roles fit into the larger picture of the office as Daniel had previously mentioned.
A special highlight was a connection with Binghamton alumni Braden Florczyk, a
paralegal in the Civil Division at SDNY, who helped coordinate the event. Knowing that a fellow Binghamton student had built a career there made the whole experience feel more accessible and like a path I could actually walk.
The next trek brought me somewhere a little unexpected. I visited UiPath– a leading AI automation company. At first glance, it definitely seems unusual for a pre-law student to have engaged in such a tech-dominated field, however sitting in that room, listening to team members share their career advice and journeys, I learned that professional development is rarely linear. What struck me the most about this experience was seeing the underlying workplace culture and how company values emerge and play out day to day. For someone who eventually wants to practice law, knowing these sorts of organizational systems is just as important as knowing case law in order to be a functional member of any professional environment.
The treks not only opened my eyes to professional development, they inspired me to act and pursue the type of internships and programs that I was most interested in. Having those real conversations with professionals gave me concrete talking points and a sharper sense of where I want to go. Networking can feel intimidating, especially early in your college career. But events like the CONNECT program lower that barrier.
I am currently in the interview process for internship applications with 2 of the employers that I visited during this program and I am very grateful to the Fleishman Center for facilitating this opportunity. I would not hesitate to recommend this experience to other students. Even if you’re not sure what career path you want, go anyway! ESPECIALLY if you’re not sure. These treks are low-pressure environments where you can ask meaningful questions and start building the kind of confidence that is hard to build otherwise. You might visit an office and realize it’s exactly where you want to end up.
Thanks again to the Fleishman Center for making these opportunities possible, and to
every professional who took the time to speak with us.
Written by: Luis Ortega
