PULP Welcomes Giovanna Brackbill

In May 2020, I earned my J.D. from Penn State Dickinson Law, where I served on the E-Board of LLSA (Latinx Law Student Association), supervised the law school’s Civil Legal Intake Clinic and participated as a student board member of the Bethesda Men’s Shelter in Harrisburg. I earned my experiential learning credits as a certified legal intern for the Lancaster
County DA’s office.

In May 2016, I graduated from Lebanon Valley College as a first-generation college student in my family. I majored in Political Science, Spanish, and Global Studies. I spent a semester abroad in Spain, followed by a semester doing an independent study while I worked at CWS-Lancaster’s immigration legal services program, helping people who resettled in Central PA to complete Citizenship, Legal Permanent Resident and DACA applications with USCIS.

During law school, I pursued a summer position with PULP through the MLK public interest internship program. I had the opportunity to attend hearings and participate in conference calls and meetings on behalf of PULP’s clients. I had the pleasure of meeting the members of CAUSE-PA. Working for PULP helped grow my appreciation for the process of preparing testimony, comments, and other casework. It is not lost on me what an honor it is to join the ranks of colleagues who are such warriors when it comes to advocating on behalf of the low-income community. Their resiliency and commitment to serve others are instincts that I plan to adopt into my own career as an attorney. Now that I have returned in the middle of the COVID pandemic, I will be working part-time as I study for the remote October bar exam. Under the supervision of PULP’s attorneys, I will work on COVID Defense and Post-Moratorium policy and COVID lifeline projects, including providing advice to and advocating for individuals calling PULP’s utility hotline.

In my free time, I enjoy gardening, swimming, and renovating our farmhouse with my husband, Kerwin, in Manheim, PA. He owns a wedding photography business and I often help him as a second shooter on the weekends.