Julia Brandon '24 at Future Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Program 

Julia Brandon '24, shared her unique experience participating in the Future Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Program this past summer. Julia discovered this opportunity through her AP Government and Politics teacher, Ms. Gina Beren and she immediately took interest and applied.

The program took place from August 21 to 25 at the US Attorney's office in Philadelphia and exposed Julia to the inner workings of the Assistant US Attorney's Office. She learned about the structure of the government was able to interact with various governmental agencies including the FBI, DEA, ATF, SSS, and the U.S. Marshalls. Julia also visited a courthouse to learn about courtroom etiquette.

She attributes her success during the program to the Mount saying, "I think that courage, leadership, and teamwork skills that I developed over my three years at the Mount helped me not only prepare for this program but succeed in it." Julia explains, "The Future AUSA program prepared me for college and my future endeavors because it exposed me to situations where I was forced out of my comfort zone. I was considering backing out of the program because I knew nobody and would be missing out on the first day of my senior year. Ms. Beren was very persistent that I participate in the program and I am so glad I did. I could not imagine a better opportunity where I am able to learn about and interact with professionals who work in a field that I am very interested in." 

Fun Fact: The biggest adventure Julia experienced during the program was a visit to the chambers of judge Mark A. Kearney (Eastern District of PA Judge).