Lexington Summer Intern: Marley Smith-Peters

Hello,

My name is Marley Smith-Peters and I am entering into my senior year of college at California State University, Chico. I have a major in Political Science with a focus in Legal Studies, as well as a minor in International Relations.

In my spare time, I love to keep myself busy. I am an avid reader and I enjoy keeping up with the news, especially global affairs and events on an international scale. I am an animal lover and take almost any opportunity I can to spend time with my dog and cat. Some of my hobbies include playing soccer, hiking, crocheting and going to concerts.

Prior to my work at Lexington, I was the director of the Penal Law Project at the Community Legal Information Center, a student-run service where we specialized in providing legal information to our clients. In my particular department, I oversaw 14 interns as we provided legal information to our clients, the majority of whom were incarcerated. We handled issues such as prisoners’ rights, matters of Habeas Corpus and appeals. I loved my work with the Community Legal Information Center, but after my yearlong term was up, I wanted to test out the waters and see what other areas of law and public policy I am interested in.

I applied for my internship at the Lexington Institute because of its diverse subjects of expertise. In my time here, the executives have done significant research on cybersecurity, the power grid and even the postal service. Being a part of such a diverse think tank allows me to identify other subjects I find interesting, such as defense and international law. One thing that I have found remarkable about the subject matters discussed at the Lexington Institute is how intertwined different subjects can be, such as cybersecurity and international law.

As an intern at the Lexington Institute, I edit and citation processes of research papers, assisting the executives with hosting events, various clerical tasks and creating a directory of important legislative contacts. My favorite part of working for Lexington is that I have the ability to attend conferences and various events that I find of interest. Having the opportunity to interact with and witness professionals in their field has been a wonderful experience and has really helped me to broaden my horizons and introduced me to new interests.

After my summer with Lexington Institute is over I will be going back to Chico to finish my final classes for my major. In the Spring, I plan to study abroad in Alicante, Spain, where I can become more proficient in Spanish and experience living in another country. In the future, I would love to work in the field of international law, possibly specializing in issues of trade and economic law.