Tahj Damon, a St. Francis College (SFC) rising senior majoring in criminal justice, is midway through his internship with the Honorable John Zhuo Wang, a Manhattan Criminal Court judge. Damon was assigned to Wang as part of the Sonia and Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program, whose mission is to cultivate future leaders by placing high school, college and law school students from diverse backgrounds in judicial internships in state and federal courts in the New York City area.

Damon’s full-time, eight-week internship began on June 6. A typical day for him includes observing arraignments and trials, printing and filing documents for Judge Wang, writing penal law codes in case documents and reading up on different cases.

“What I am enjoying most about the internship is observing various trials and seeing the prosecution and defense prove their argument to the jury and judge,” said Damon, who aspires to become an attorney and effect positive change in the criminal justice system.

“My parents have been the strongest influence and source of support in terms of my career goals,” Damon added. He also credits Dr. Emily Horowitz, professor and chair of the sociology and criminal justice department at SFC and co-director of the College’s Justice Initiative, for providing him with “a perspective in the field of criminal justice that I can appreciate.”

At SFC, Damon is a member of the St. Thomas More Pre-Law-Society and the Black Student Union. He has made the Dean’s List every semester for the last two years.