Not only is Vincent Couto extremely involved on the Newman campus, he was also able to obtain an internship off-campus for the summer with the local district attorney’s office.
Couto is an international student and is headed into his senior year as a sociology major with a minor in pre-law. He decided that Newman University was the college for him after being recruited by men’s soccer coach Cliff Brown.
“(Brown) saw me play in my hometown of Montréal and really was the biggest factor in what led me to attend Newman,” Couto said.
Couto is captain of the men’s soccer team and has revamped the intramural sports program alongside senior Quincy Plank, but his involvement goes beyond sports. He was a lead student ambassador for the admissions department, president of the Future Legal Professionals of Newman and served as vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee last year.
Director of Student Activities Morgan Calvert said that working with Couto has been a wonderful experience.
“(Couto) is an exceptional individual who possesses the motivation and drive that will grant him the potential to accomplish great things in his future,” she said.
Couto said his experiences at Newman have played a significant part in helping him to receive his summer internship opportunity.
“The classes I’ve taken at Newman have helped sharpen my logic and critical thinking skills, which I believe to be necessary for an internship like this,” he said. “Additionally, Newman has given me the confidence needed to step into a professional workplace and excel.”
Couto first met the senior assistant district attorney when he attended a networking event at Newman.
“We connected, kept in touch and over the course of time I expressed my interest in interning for the district attorney’s office here in Sedgwick County,” Couto said.
“The purpose of the internship is to be exposed to the well-oiled machine that is the justice system. Given the nature of the internship, there are no outright responsibilities besides learning. Working in the consumer protection division, I will say an integral part includes actual consumer protection outreach.”
In addition to immersing himself in the environment, Couto’s tasks include sitting in on trials, researching and pulling up statutes from the Kansas Statutes Annotated. So far, these practices have helped him distinguish the procedural differences between civil and criminal, he said.
Couto said he is most excited for “all of it, really.”
He added, “There are many pros to an internship of this nature, and I’m just thrilled to be able to learn, challenge myself and grow in this setting. All in all, I am just incredibly thankful for this opportunity.”
Calvert said, “Vincent is very justice-oriented and will make an amazing lawyer. This experience … will be invaluable for him and his future endeavors within the legal professions field.”
