Internship at county prosecutor’s office a valuable part of Matt Fletes’ IU East experience

A warm greeting and a friendly smile can go a long way.

Matt Fletes

More than 2,000 miles, in Matt Fletes’ case, to a successful college career and a valuable internship experience.

Fletes brought a winning personality from his hometown in southern California to his college days at Indiana University East.

Fletes made that same positive impression during an internship assisting at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office during the 2019-20 school year.

Fletes’ internship experience complemented the bachelor’s degree in political science he pursued at IU East as part of his long-range goal to become a member of the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, the branch of the military concerned with military justice and law.

“I come from a family that is very patriotic,” said Fletes, who has an older brother who is a Coast Guard pilot. “I want to join the military as well, but join as a lawyer. I think this is the best way I can become a lawyer and serve my country at the same time.”

Fletes arrived at IU East in 2018 after two years at Antelope Valley College near his hometown of Lancaster, California, in the western Mojave Desert in Southern California.

Why travel more than 2,000 miles from home? Fletes appreciated the sincere recruiting pitch he heard from Red Wolves men’s soccer coach Steve Moore. He liked the idea of being part of a new soccer program fighting its way up the ladder. Last but not least, he sought a school where he could play soccer and also pursue a degree in political science.

“Best of both worlds,” Fletes said of his decision to become a Red Wolf.

Fletes’ last name rhymes with ‘net us.’ As in, Fletes helped net us 23 soccer victories at IU East during his two seasons in a Red Wolf uniform.

Fletes later netted an on-campus work-study position with IU East’s Career Services Office – a natural setting for someone who meets newcomers with a warm greeting and a friendly smile.

Career Services Specialist Kara Bellew jokes that she has only one complaint about serving as Fletes’ supervisor: By the 2019-20 school year, Bellew’s longtime colleagues in Whitewater Hall would greet Fletes before they would greet her. “And I’ve known them for six years. Matt was only with us for two years!” she said.

“Matt became somewhat of a celebrity in Whitewater Hall and across campus. Matt developed a positive reputation on campus not only because he’s social, warm and friendly, but because it doesn’t take long to realize he’s also completely genuine. I had colleagues ask me what his plans were for after graduation, not just because they were curious, but because they wanted to hire him!”

That winning personality proved useful at Career Services events around campus.

“I might be sitting in the Graf Center with the intention for students to come and get help with their resumes or build their LinkedIn page. It can be difficult to get students to engage with you in that setting,” Bellew said. “When I brought Matt with me, it was different. Students would flock to Matt. Students. His teammates. Random people. They want what he’s trying to sell. He was a good salesman and spokesperson for our office.”

Bellew and Career Services Director Sally Saydshoev learned of Fletes’ interest in a law career. They helped make the initial contact with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office regarding a potential internship.

By this point, you know the kind of impression Fletes made.

“We loved him. We were really blown away by how professional and respectful he was from the moment he walked through the door,” said Wayne County Deputy Prosecutor Ashley Green, herself an IU East graduate who served as Fletes’ supervisor during his internship. “Everyone just gravitated toward him. He’s respectful, mature, and he listens. Matt is the type of person that I want to work with in legal profession.”

Green tells the department’s interns – several of them from IU East over the years – that the more they put into the internship experience, the more knowledge and skills they’ll gain from the experience.

Fletes certainly put in the effort. His internship duties included paperwork tasks, such as redactions from case files. His duties also included hands-on experience, such as assisting Green with timelines of events, based on surveillance footage, for upcoming cases.

He particularly enjoyed sitting in court hearings, taking mental and written notes on how both the prosecutors and the defense attorneys presented their cases.

“Very interesting,” he said of watching the hearings. “I learned how one should act and one shouldn’t act in the courtroom.”

The most important thing Fletes learned? As a soccer player, he noted the importance of teamwork and time management.

“Being around all of these different types of attorneys was the most beneficial thing,” he said. “Everyone did a different type of job, and everyone had to do it on time, or the job didn’t get done.”

Fletes’ internship experience came to an unscheduled end due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but he still left a lasting impression.

“If Matt is applying for law school and asks for recommendation, the answer will be ‘absolutely,’ because he did so well in our office,” Green said. “Matt showed all these great skills, especially for someone who hasn’t set foot in law school, that shows me he is the type of student who will excel in law school.”

Added Bellew: “Although Matt was employed by the Office of Career Services at the time of his internship, the opportunity to participate in an internship is available to every IU East student. As it proved to be for Matt, an internship can be an exceptional way to boost your resume and gain real-world experience within your field of study before starting your career.”

The COVID-19 outbreak has made the exact destination unclear, but Fletes’ next months definitely will be spent preparing for law school in pursuit of the long-term goal to join the JAG Corps.

“I hope to make an impact on somebody’s life.” Fletes concluded. “I want to be remembered as someone who accomplished something. Hopefully someone will say ‘he’s a decent guy.’ Over the next 10-15 years, that’s my hope.”

If his experience at IU East is any indication, a warm greeting and a friendly smile will take him a long way.