Voices from the Field
2025 Student Summer Intern Blogs
Catherine Xu
Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network
Catherine Xu [1L] will provide pro bono legal assistance to the immigrant community in the Eleventh Circuit. GAIN's clients seek to escape persecution, human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Hank Blackburn
International IDEA Electoral Processes Team
Hank Blackburn [2L] will contribute to supporting the protection and strengthening of elections, including improving the quality of legal and institutional frameworks, strengthening the capacity of electoral institutions, increasing inclusivity in electoral processes and enabling civil society, democracy defenders and the media to ensure the accountability of electoral institutions and the integrity of electoral processes.
Cianna Phelan
International IDEA Electoral Processes Team
Cianna Phelan [1L] will contribute to supporting the protection and strengthening of elections, including improving the quality of legal and institutional frameworks, strengthening the capacity of electoral institutions, increasing inclusivity in electoral processes and enabling civil society, democracy defenders and the media to ensure the accountability of electoral institutions and the integrity of electoral processes.
Alex Dai
Beijing Children's and Migrant Workers’ Legal Aid and Research Center
Alex Dai [1L] will conduct comparative research in Chinese and foreign legal systems on issues concerning the protection of children's and migrant workers’ rights. The Legal Aid and Research Center is the largest public interest legal service organization in China and China's first NGO to specialize in children's rights.
Logan Smith
Beijing Children's and Migrant Workers’ Legal Aid and Research Center
Logan Smith [1L] will conduct comparative research in Chinese and foreign legal systems on issues concerning the protection of children's and migrant workers’ rights. The Legal Aid and Research Center is the largest public interest legal service organization in China and China's first NGO to specialize in children's rights.
Sa'id Gonzalez
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Sa’id Gonzalez [2L] will further AAAJ’s mission to advance civil and human rights of Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.
Julie Stanwyck
International Bridges to Justice
Julie Stanwyck [2L] will work to promote individual rights in Rwanda by assisting in filling gaps in the country's legal aid system and working to create a culture where political leaders and citizens understand and support due process rights.
Heidi Willden
Global Survivors Fund
Heidi Willden [1L] will contribute to GSF’s efforts to deliver reparations, including acknowledgment and compensation, to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
Gwyneth Smith
Machik
Gwyneth Smith [1L] will contribute to Machik’s goal of charting new pathways forward for the global Tibetan community by respecting the standpoint of others and appreciating our responsibilities to our collective human future.
Sydney Parbs
International Bridges to Justice
Sydney Parbs [1L] will intern at IBJ's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, where she will conduct research and provide back-up support for IBJ's global programming efforts against cruel and unusual punishment, furthering fair trial rights in developing and post-conflict countries.
Isabelle Simoneaux
National Center for State Courts International Programs Division
Isabelle Simoneaux [1L] will assist NCSC’s work providing technical assistance, training and technology to enhance justice systems and services around the world, working with government, civil society, and development partners to create more accountable institutions and expand access to justice.
Aurora Garrison
International IDEA Constitution Building Processes Programme
Aurora Garrison [1L] will conduct research in support of national constitution building and amendment processes. International IDEA’s CBP program provides assistance to countries undergoing constitutional transitions as they seek to strengthen political institutions, improve electoral processes and promote democracy.
Ellie Bailey
Comisión Provincial por la Memoria
Ellie Bailey [1L] will work with the Provincial Memory Commission, an independent public organization that promotes and implements public policies of preserving historical memory and ensuring human rights. The Commission's objectives and work express the commitment to preserving the memory of State terrorism and promoting the defense and advancement of human rights in democracy. The President of CPM, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, is the recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize.