(Woodland, CA) – January 24, 2020 – The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is excited to announce the addition of eight new interns. These new members of the District Attorney’s team bring a tremendous amount of talent and a diverse array of life experiences to the table.
Stephanie Dong, who will be working with the office’s Deputy District Attorneys as a legal intern, was born and raised in San Jose, California and spent three years in South Korea as a child. She is starting her final semester at UC Davis School of Law and hopes to pursue a career in prosecution after graduation. “My experience volunteering with domestic violence victims in high school and college sparked my interest in criminal law,” Stephanie shared.
Three new interns joined the Yolo County District Attorney’s Neighborhood Court team. Neighborhood Court is a voluntary adult diversion program that utilizes restorative justice practices to resolve criminal cases for individuals charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses.
“I was initially intrigued by the Neighborhood Court Program for its non-punitive measures and emphasis on restorative justice. Community rebuilding is an essential part of improving a society, and so I am excited to become a part of the process,” intern Rachel Wong stated. Wong worked at the UC Davis School of Law as a student assistant, which sparked her interest in criminal law. She is passionate about dance as a means of self-expression, stress-relief, and confidence-building.
“I chose to attend UC Davis for political science and history to become an international, criminal, or public service lawyer,” intern Robb Ridgley shared. Adding the he “still has a long, long time to decide” which specific path he wants to pursue. Prior to interning with Neighborhood Court, Robb interned in an emergency room and said that he is looking forward to “an entirely different challenge.”
Il Kun Kim, who goes by the nickname Kun, was born in South Korea and grew up in the United States. His parents and sister in the first in their family to live outside of the Korean peninsula. “My aspiration since I was a child was to become an attorney, and currently I am working hard to see that dream come true,” Kun expressed. He is rooting for the Sacramento Kings to snap their 13 season-long NBA Playoff drought.
The District Attorney’s Victim Services Program also added three new interns to its ranks. Interns assist the program’s dedicated Victim Advocates in providing support to victims in criminal cases.
Arianna Razi is a fourth year student at UC Davis, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Human Rights. She also works as a supervisor of the Aggie Host Security’s sixth division. “After graduating in June from UC Davis, I plan on applying to law school in Fall 2020. Since I was in elementary school I always dreamt of becoming an attorney. Over the years, my interest in criminal, medical malpractice, and corporate law began to grow steadily and my ultimate goal is to become a criminal prosecutor.”
Alexis Gutierrez is enrolled in a Master’s program through Arizona State University for human and family development. She currently works two jobs: one as a Behavioral Therapist for children on the autism spectrum and one as a server at Crepeville in Davis. “As a family member of multiple murder victims, I hope to use my past experiences and strong desire for justice to help other families going through similar situations,” Alexis stated.
“Standing at a solid 4’11” Brianna Reveles describes herself as very passionate about law and politics. She graduated from California State University Sacramento with a bachelor’s in Political Science. “Having been raised by a feisty single mother, I was taught the importance of independence and strength,” Brianna said. “I hope to be able to utilize this experience to further my career in law and pursuing the greater good.”
Francheska Vicents will be joining the District Attorney’s Data Driven Intervention Unit as an intern. The DDI Program interns assist with investigations and prosecution of chronic criminal offenders by performing crime trend evaluations, social media scraping, monitoring inmate communications, and using other sources of data to determine appropriate resolutions for these targeted cases. Francheska works for the UC Davis School of Law as a student assistant to the dean. “My life’s motivations are my family, my passion to help people, and my dream to leave a lasting positive effect on individual lives,” Francheska shared.
From left to right (top): Francheska Vicents, Alexis Gutierrez, Brianna Reveles, Stephanie Dong.
From left to right (bottom): Arianna Razi, Rachel Wong, Il Kun Kim, and Robb Ridgley.
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