The Quest for Service Learning

I started off my quest for service learning with a bang. I have an internship with the Jasper County Crime Lab. My mentor is Lt. Richardson.
Before I could even start working, I had several obstacles I had to overcome. First, was a criminal history and background check. I was clean, on to step two. Next, I was fingerprinted and profiled. My prints are now in AFIS (Automatic Fingerprint Identification System). Now, I'm cleared to work.
My first day was supposed to be Tuesday. I say supposed to be because I scheduled a time with Lt. Richardson; however, I had a surprise coming my way. Around 8:30 on Tuesday morning, I received a phone call. Lt. Richardson had been subpoenaed into court for a double homicide. He rescheduled our meeting for Thursday.
Thursday was definitely an experience. I went to Carthage Square for the first time. Little did I realize, the court house, Jasper County Sheriff Department, and the Carthage Police Department are all stationed on the same three blocks. When I arrived, I had another surprise in store for me. I figured my purse would be searched and what not to make sure that I wasn't carrying gun. I was right. However, when I was escorted towards the offices I noticed some odd things. First was that all of the officers were wearing cowboy hats that said Jasper County Sheriff Department. Then I noticed that all of the people on this floor were men. Next, I realized that I was getting funny looks from the people around me. These people were suspects or victims being interviewed. They seemed shocked to see a college student dressed up walking through the Sheriff's Department. When it came time for my meeting, I realized that Lt. Richardson wasn't there. One of his co-workers interviewed me. His name was Lt. Craig Davis. I had so many questions for him.
I needed my questions to be answered. To my surprise, Lt. Davis told me everything I needed to know. I wanted to know if I would get the chance to interview victims or suspects. Then I went on to ask if I got to go to a real crime scene. If I got the chance, would I be able to collect evidence? Would I ever be used as a witness or expert in court? Lt. Davis answered yes to all of these questions. My heart leapt with joy. I just had one more question to ask, but I knew I didn't have the guts to. How am I to interact with someone who is more than double my age? I didn't want to look dumb or inexperienced. But the truth is I really was inexperienced.
My one main goal for this whole experience is to learn and grasp new things. Granted, this will look amazing on my resume the next time I fill out a job application form for a police department. Hopefully, my experience will teach me better techniques on how to process a crime scene.