Erich Lange ’19 Louisville Legal Aid Society – The mission of Wabash College is to “educate men to think critically, act responsibly, lead effectively, and live humanely.” While the first three parts can be learned in the classroom, I would argue that one must learn the fourth component outside of tranquil campus life. If nothing else, my summer internship at the Louisville Legal Aid Society taught me what it means to live humanely.
Legal Aid Society is a nonprofit law firm, offering free civil legal assistance to the indigent population of Louisville, KY and the surrounding 14 counties. To qualify for Legal Aid services, a client must be at least 125 percent below the federal poverty line. Sadly, there is a great demand for Legal Aid services; for every one client Legal Aid serves, they must turn one away due to insufficient funding. Whether I was writing grants to secure funding, composing press releases and publications, drafting company policies, assisting attorneys at free legal clinics, or attending court, my serving Legal Aid’s clients, either directly or indirectly, has been the most humbling experience of my life. I discovered that living humanely not only means performing random acts of kindness and being a good person, but going the extra mile to help the most vulnerable in our society.
Perhaps the best way to illustrate “living humanely” is to share a real example from my experience. “Jennie” came to Legal Aid seeking a divorce. Her husband had walked out on her and moved out of state. Because he had abused her, she wanted was to be completely free of him and get on with her life. At this particular divorce clinic, I filled out the Divorce Decree forms for the Judge to sign if he or she granted the divorce. “Jennie” is now in the later stages of her divorce, and should soon be able to move on with her life. It did not seem like much to me at the time, but by that small act of filling out a form “Jennie” needed for her divorce, I helped her begin a new chapter in her life.
Although I may not be an attorney or even a college graduate for that manner, this experience with “Jennie” and the countless others like it have taught me what it means to live humanely. Thanks to the generous support of the SBIF and Legal Aid Society, I was afforded the opportunity to learn a lesson more important than any test I will ever take in my four years at Wabash; I learned and became a better man, and for that I am forever grateful.
