Dalila Gafar ('26), a double major in Legal Studies & Business Ethics and Operations, Information, & Decisions, spent this past summer at the University of Minho’s R&D Unit, the Center for Justice and Governance. The internship gave Dalila the opportunity to engage in legal research and compose a report on the EU Digital Services Act. This experience was supported by the Franklin Opportunity Fund, an internship funding opportunity for Benjamin Franklin Scholars.
Dalila Gafar – Wharton ’26 | Legal Studies & Business Ethics and Operations, Information, & Decisions
This summer, I interned at the University of Minho’s R&D Unit, the Center for Justice and Governance (JusGov) from late June through mid-August. I worked under Professor Maria Miguel Carvalho, a member of the E.Tech Unit at JusGov, which focuses on State, Enterprise, and Technology. Over the course of the internship, I analyzed 25 scholarly articles through UMinho’s Law School Database and produced an 8,000-word report. I chose this placement because I wanted to gain experience with legal research. As a business student, I hadn’t had many opportunities to engage in policy-adjacent work in depth, so this was an invaluable opportunity to better understand the kind of work it entailed.
My research paper focused on the EU Digital Services Act (EU DSA), the current state of the law, and policy recommendations through the lens of disinformation governance in the EU. The paper was structured around three key themes: the current limitations of content moderation practices, transparency and accountability standards under the law, and institutional challenges to a common regulatory framework. The topic grew out of prior coursework, in a legal studies class on Internet Law, Privacy, and Cybersecurity. In that class, the EU DSA was mentioned briefly as a point of comparison to the state of federal legislation on social media governance in the United States. I used that as a starting point to narrow my topic, and one section of my paper went on to compare the two jurisdictions and the legal conflict this creates within the existing global regulatory framework.
One of the most important things I gained from interning at JusGov was stronger research discipline. During the literature review process, I learned how to work with unfamiliar databases and how to use filters and keywords to narrow my search effectively. Analyzing the articles also taught me how to extract only the most relevant information. Working with these many sources was a new challenge, especially since my class papers were typically limited to 2,500 to 3,000 words and required only a minimum of 10 sources. As a result, I learned how to better organize and manage a large body of material. Since the internship also involved significant independent work centered on writing and revising the paper, I improved my ability to manage my time and structure my workflow. I also came to appreciate the importance of feedback, reaching out to a supervisor, and asking the right questions when in doubt.
Pictured: Dalila Gafar with Fellow Interns
The experience had a meaningful impact on both my confidence and my understanding of the kind of work I want to pursue. It enhanced my subject-matter knowledge, strengthened my professional skill set, and gave me a much clearer sense of what serious legal and policy research looks like in practice. It also taught me patience and the importance of consistency in contributing to a project every day.
Finally, this experience helped shape my future direction. It reassured me in my interest in pursuing a legal education and showed me that I find this kind of work engaging and worthwhile. The skills I developed this summer have translated well this academic year in my coursework and senior thesis, and I hope will continue to inform my future professional endeavors.
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