#SoaringToSuccess: Connections That Open Courtroom Doors

Before Kaitlyn Potter ’25, a Criminal Justice and Psychology double major, started attending Elmira College, she received a scholarship from the Sullivan County Bar Association out of Monticello, New York. While the monetary value of the award was important, it also came with a large bonus prize - a professional contact. Potter met John Theadore ’08, an EC alumnus and member of the Sullivan County Bar Association.

Potter didn’t realize the value of the connection initially. But then, in her junior year at EC, Potter decided to reach out to Theodore. She asked him if he knew where she could intern in the Criminal Justice field. He was happy to help.

“He gave me three names, but he told me I would want to work with her,” shared Potter.

“Her” being the Hon. Meagan Galligan, a Supreme Court Justice for the Sullivan Supreme and County Court.

Potter followed Theadore’s advice and reached out to Galligan. It led to a 2 ½ month internship this past summer.

During her internship, she had a front-row seat to the workings of the court. She alternated between courts and judges, soaking up the advice and knowledge from everyone she met. She participated in a drug treatment court where people with substance abuse issues are given assistance. She sat in on meetings with probation officers and district attorneys. And she read piles of files, figuring out why judges made certain decisions.

Potter noted that her courses at EC helped prepare her to read the case files so that she knew what was happening in the various cases. The added bonus was seeing how what she had read in her textbooks played out in real-life scenarios, bringing what she had learned to life

“I got to see how a case gets to the court. I spent a lot of time with Galligan’s secretary. She explained the process of how things come to court. I also got to be part of jury selections for the grand jury.”

Among the skills she developed in her internship was feeling comfortable talking with people of all ages and backgrounds.

“My supervisors were big on me talking to people and sending me to different attorneys,” she explained. “I was gaining people skills and working out how to talk to people who have more experience and knowledge.”

“Two years ago, I would not have been able to handle it,” she confided.

Now Potter highly recommends practicing the skill and not just to those aspiring to practice law.

“It’s helpful to talk to people in a position where you want to be. It helped me solidify my personal statement. Helped me gain confidence in applying to law school. The people I met are now the ones giving me a recommendation.”

Potter admitted that when she first came to EC, she was worried about being at a smaller school and whether she would be able to build a strong resume for graduate school. She is happy to say she found the opposite.

“I’ve had amazing opportunities to meet people and my academics and application to law school are strong,” she exclaimed. This wealth of experience led to one of Potter’s most important lessons from the internship, which showed her the many types of roles and positions available to her within the legal system.

“The internship solidified for me what I want to do,” she shared. “It impacted me enough so that when I wrote my thank you letter to Judge Galligan, I said I want to be a judge.”

From her initial connection with an EC alumnus to her experience with a County Supreme Court judge, Potter discovered she didn’t have to limit herself—and that she’s ready to take on everything the legal world has to offer.