Winter/Spring 2013 Interns:
Yasmeen Aslami
Social Media/Communications Intern
Yasmeen Aslami is a senior at the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, minoring in Russian and East European Studies. Though her primary regional interest is the Middle East – and Afghanistan, specifically – her passion lies with human rights, and even more so, women’s and children’s rights. Seeking to expand her knowledge, Yasmeen sought an internship at the International Justice Project, which fuses elements of international law and human rights, but within Darfur (and Sudan as a whole) – an area that Yasmeen has largely been unfamiliar with, and is looking forward to gaining more knowledge about.
Pia Nitzschke
HARP and Emergency Response Network (ERN) Intern
Pia Nitzschke is a senior at the Seton Hall University John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations. She is currently minoring in Japanese, Asian Studies, and Anthropology. As a student of Wanda Akin’s and Raymond Brown’s Human Rights course she was inspired to pursue studies in Human Rights and Immigration Law. As a German citizen having lived in six countries she has experienced the difficulties of adapting to a new culture and society many times. Her passion for Human Rights in combination with her multi-cultural background has led her to be an engaged International Student Advocate at Seton Hall; working as a Peer Adviser for incoming freshmen and as a Freshmen Ambassador in the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy. Graduating in December 2013, she looks to attend Law School in the United States.
Elina Shtrakhman
Advocacy Intern
Elina Shtrakhman is working on her B.A. in Psychology and minoring in Political Science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In the future, Elina strives to work in the field of International Law, specifically focusing on Human Rights violations.
Continuing Interns (See bios below)
Tsveta Dobreva
Chané Jones
Jessica Richardson
Jessica Soorial
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FORMER INTERNS
Fall 2012 Interns:
Tsveta Dobreva
Emergency Response Network Intern
Tsveta is a fourth year student at Ramapo College. An international student from Bulgaria, she is studying towards a major in Psychology and a minor in Human Rights & Genocide Studies. Her interests include immigrants’ mental health and issues of adaptation. After graduation, she would like to travel and work with immigrants, refugees and minorities.
Chané Jones
Social Media/Communications Intern
Chané is a senior at Seton Hall University’s John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations. She minors in Economics, Asian Studies, and Writing. As a student leader involved in various organizations on her campus, Chané has always taken interest in serving the community. She takes special interest in women’s issue and is a co-founder of Women for Afghan Women Seton Hall Chapter and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, two organizations that advocate for the advancement of women. As a student of Wanda Akin and Raymond Brown, her passion for helping people was enhanced with a new interest in International Criminal Law. Chané hopes to one day begin a non-profit organization of her own, helping advocate for Human Rights.
Esther Moedden
Law and Policy Intern
Esther Moedden received her law degree from the University of Osnabrueck in Germany in 2012. In addition to her semester abroad in Paris she got first practical work experiences during her internship at the CDU/CSU-Fraction in the German Bundestag, where she assists the Group of Women. Aiming at a professional career in the field of international law, particularly criminal law and human rights advocacy she wants to continue her studies in this area by passing a Master of Laws degree.
Regina Koyfman
Social Media/Communications Intern
Regina is a recent graduate of Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA. She majored in Communications, with an emphasis in Public Relations, and minored in French. In addition to studying abroad in Paris for a semester, Regina was very active on campus and became interested in law when she took a law class during her senior year. She hopes to attend law school next fall.
Jessica Richardson
Law and Policy Intern
Jessica Richardson is a third-year law student at New York Law. Jessica has a passion for International Human Rights Law, specifically in the area of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She hopes to one day be a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, holding human rights violators accountable for their crimes.
Jessica Soorial
Emergency Response Network Intern
Jessica Soorial is a student at the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, minoring in Asian studies. Her field of interest is affairs in the Middle East, particularly Egypt. She also has a great interest in human rights, hoping to one day be working in an organization that deals specifically with human rights. She is also fluent in Arabic.
Continuing Interns (See Bios Below)
Diane Camacho
Aya Kalenikova
Mary Orsini
SUMMER 2012 INTERNS:
Our 2012 summer intern class was a terrific amalgamation of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who are passionate about human rights and working to achieve the IJP’s mission. We had a candidate seeking her French humanitarian degree, a student from the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, a third-year law student from Liberty University, a former teacher, a former secretary of Darfurian Women, a former social worker, a political science major at Lehman College, and many more great additions. On behalf of the IJP, we would like to give special thanks to our partner, the DiversityInc Foundation, whose generous support allows us to host this wonderful class!
David Abaskharon
Law and Policy Intern
David Abaskharon is a rising third-year law student at Liberty University School of Law. David has a passion for the Sudanese people and an interest in International Criminal Law, particularly human rights abuses under Sharia law. David has experience working abroad for multinational corporations; earned a MBA in International Business from Liberty University, and has a degree in Finance, Accounting & Economics from Rutgers-Newark.
Niki Bhargava
Social Media/Communications Intern
Niki is a rising junior at Smith College in Northampton, MA. She is a double major in English Language & Literature and Economics, and is interested in pursuing a law degree in the future. Niki is interested in learning about how channels of social media can raise awareness of human rights issues and current events, and thinks that working with the IJP will be an invaluable experience. Niki has organized Human Rights Week at her school in the past. She is President of her residence, Cushing House at Smith College, and is also the current President of the cheerleading team.
Geoff Blackwell
Law and Policy Intern
Geoff Blackwell is a student at Rutgers-Camden School of Law. His main focuses are on human rights, as well as civil rights and religious freedom issues. While studying for a BA in Political Science, Geoff developed a passion for human rights advocacy and worked as a grassroots campaign director during the 2008 presidential election. He also provides local non-profit organizations, including the North Camden Little League, with website hosting services.
Samantha Buckley
Law and Policy Intern
Samantha Buckley is a rising 2L at Chicago-Kent College of Law. She received a Bachelor of Arts in History from University Texas – Arlington in 2007. She also attained a teaching license, which enabled her to teach in Texas and, later, in South Korea for three years. Samantha taught high school Social Studies and, later, English as a second language. Samantha hopes to complete her J.D. with a specialization in International and Comparative Law.
Diane Camacho
Law and Policy Intern
Diane is a rising second year law student at Rutgers School of Law – Camden. She received her bachelors degree from Rutgers College in New Brunswick, NJ in Political Science and Criminal Justice, with a minor in history. Diane’s future career goals include working in the field of international law, specifically focusing on international human rights issues. She is very much looking forward to an exciting summer with IJP!
Samantha Carty
LaTonio Hyatt Memorial Administrative Intern
Samantha Carty is political science major at Lehman College. As a native of Kingston, Jamaica and a 17-year resident of the Bronx, New York, she always had an interest in how particular issues affect more than one part of the world. Along with friends and classmates, she has helped to organize an awareness campaign around the conflict minerals issue in the eastern Congo region. Samantha is also a Communications Officer of the Lehman College Student Government. Her growth in leadership and dedication to important causes can be attributed to her work in the Herbert H. Lehman Center for Student Leadership, of which Samantha is a current graduate.
Jill Clayton, Esq.
Law and Policy Intern
Jill is currently serving as the Joachim Herz Fellow in the Master of Law and Business Program at Bucerius Law School and WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management in Hamburg, Germany. Prior to her fellowship, she obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law School, where she specialized in International & Comparative Law. Upon completing her Masters in August 2012, Jill hopes to work for an international organization focused on human rights and development.
Sophia Eckert
Law and Policy Intern
Sophia Eckert is currently studying law at Hofstra University, where she will begin her third year in the fall of 2012. Prior to law school, she received the equivalent of a master’s degree in Latin, English Linguistics, and Spanish Linguistics from the Katholische Universitaet Ingolstadt-Eichstaett in Germany. Sophia is passionate about International Human Rights and International Criminal Law. Her dedication to the field has deepened through various internships and projects since the beginning of law school. During her internship at the Catholic Charities in Newark, New Jersey, she assisted with the representation of asylum seekers from Africa and the Americas. As the chapter president of the Global Brigades at her university, she organized a brigade to Eastern Panama where she and other law students provided free legal services to indigent farmers. During the upcoming semester, Sophia will be part of the political asylum clinic at Hofstra University. Upon graduation, Sophia hopes to pursue a career in the field of international human rights or international criminal law.
Aya Kalenikova
Social Media/Communications Intern
Aya Kalenikova is a senior at the Seton hall University John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations. She is currently minoring in Russian, Easter European Studies, and History. As a student of Wanda Akin and Raymond Brown she was inspired to pursue studies in International Criminal Law and Human Rights. Her passion for Human Rights has led her to become co-founder and an executive board member of a newly-established student organization, Women for Afghan Women (WAW). WAW advocates for the fundamental rights of Afghan women and have developed programming to secure, protect, and advance Afghan women’s Human Rights in New York and across Afghanistan.
Gregory Haynes
Law and Policy Intern
Gregory Haynes is a member of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School Class of 2014 and is fortunate to be among the handful of law students to be awarded the Buffalo Human Rights Center Summer Fellowship. Gregory previously interned at IJP while attending the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations, where he wrote his master’s research project on the impact of a nation state choosing war crimes tribunals, truth commissions, or a combination of the two methods on political stability.
Kerlin Hyppolite
Law and Policy Intern
After graduating from Rutgers -Camden with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish, Kerlin decided to pursue a legal education at Rutgers-Camden School of Law, where he is an active member of the International Law Society and the Regional Representative of the Black Law Student Association. His work experience includes teaching Spanish and French for Steppingstone Scholars, an organization dedicated to helping educationally underserved students in the greater Philadelphia region, and he worked as a freelance legal interpreter in New Jersey, where he provided those limited in English proficiency access to important legal services. In his spare time Kerlin enjoys reading and watching movies. Kerlin is fluent in Spanish, French and Haitian Creole.
Tamia McCormick
Social Media/Communications Intern
Tamia McCormick is currently a senior at Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ. She is the current President of the Social Justice Student Group, Students for Peace & Justice and during her sophomore year she interned for the NJ-D Senator Sandra B. Cunningham. She majors in Political Science and plans to get her masters in International Relations and Public Service. She has a predilection for humanity and upon graduation in May 2013, she hopes to obtain a fellowship that will allow her to travel the world and assist those in need.
Djoye Mendy
HARP Intern
Djoye is currently in her fourth year of a five-year study in International Humanitarian Action at Université Paris-Est Créteil. Before joining the IJP, Djoye studied at Université Paul Cézanne Aix-en-Provence where she received a Bachelor’s of Law in 2009. In 2010, Djoye completed her study of Applied Languages Reference to Common Law and receive her second degree from Université Sorbonne Paris 1. Upon her graduation in 2013, Djoye would like to continue her work in the international humanitarian field with a position at an international NGO focused on human rights defense.
Mary Orsini
Law and Policy Intern
Mary Orsini is a rising 3L at Rutgers School of Law-Newark with a concentration in international human rights/international criminal law. She served as President of Rutgers Law Human Rights Forum and Co-Vice President of Rutgers Law International Law Society. Mary’s previous experience includes traveling to Phnom Penh and remote rural provinces for the Documentation Center of Cambodia to do research and conduct interviews to support prosecutory efforts in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia toward Khmer Rouge atrocities, and work with the Human Rights Department of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate of the United Nations. Mary received her B.A. from Saint Joseph’s University in 2009 with majors in History and Political Science.
Gina Ruggieri
HARP and Law & Policy Intern
Gina Ruggieri is a law student at the Charlotte School of Law. She holds a B.S. from Eastern Oregon University with concentrations in sociology and political science. Prior to attending law school, she worked as a social worker in Philadelphia. Additionally, she has traveled as a delegate with the social justice organization, Witness for Peace. Most recently, in 2009, she traveled as part of a human rights mission to Colombia, South America. In Colombia she met with local Afro-Colombian sugar cane workers and indigenous peoples to hear their plight for the recognition of their basic human rights and to end impunity for those who perpetrate crimes against them. She plans to use her law degree to work in the developing world as an advocate for justice and human rights.
Kiah Glenn-Smith
IJP Volunteer
Kiah Glenn-Smith is a recent graduate from Seton Hall University’s John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations. She was a student of the Browns while completing her undergrad and now serves at IJP as a volunteer. She has been following her dreams of helping others by working at other well known organizations such as the International Institute of New Jersey and at the American Society for Muslim Advancement. Her next step is to go for her Masters in either Women in Islam or the African American experience and Islam. She hopes to move to North Carolina with her husband to attend either Duke or UNC.
SPRING 2012 INTERNS:
R. Carter Parét, Program Associate and Law & Policy Intern
R. Carter Parét has worked with the IJP since October 2010, when he began as an intern. Through his internship with the IJP, he was able to receive a coveted, six-month internship at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. While at the ICC, Mr. Parét was responsible for giving training courses on legal and non-legal research. He also authored an administrative instruction, currently working through the approval process. Following his return from the Court, he has rejoined the IJP as the Program Associate.
Mr. Parét holds a Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology from Texas A&M University and expects to receive his Master of Arts, Diplomacy and International Relations at the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations in May 2012.
Ronald Andrew
Development Intern
Ronald Andrew is a second year graduate student at the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University with a focus in Foreign Policy. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Salisbury University in 2008. Before he began his graduate studies, Ronald worked as a substitute teacher. He hopes to take his experiences and education to the Foreign Service after graduating graduate school.
Rachel Doane
Legal Communications Intern
Rachel Doane is currently a senior at the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. Along with her interest in diplomacy, Rachel is working towards a minor in Spanish. She spent a month this past summer studying abroad in Alicante, Spain. Upon her graduation in May 2012, Rachel would like to spend a year gaining work experience at an international NGO. Rachel is most interested in international human rights and hopes to one day pursue a law degree with a focus on criminal and international law.
Ellys Thynne
Development Intern
Ellys Thynne is a junior at the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. She is majoring in Diplomacy and International Relations with a minor in French. After graduation Ellys hopes to travel and continue her life-long mission of improving the quality of people’s lives everywhere.
FALL 2011 INTERNS:
Stephanie Senger
Stephanie Senger is a second-year graduate student at the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations, specializing in international law, human rights and international security. She graduated in 2007 from Loyola University Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in History and International Studies. Her areas of interest include the protection of human rights in war zones, genocide, and the stabilization and rebuilding of fragile states. Upon graduating in May 2012, she hopes to pursue a career in the Foreign Service.
SUMMER 2011 INTERNS:
Amy Chen
Amy Y. Chen is a rising senior at Brown University concentrating in International Relations and English Literature. Amy actively contributes to the school newspaper, volunteers for Brown’s chapter of UNICEF and ChinaCare, and is involved in America Society’s Relay for Life. Amy’s particular areas of interest are international criminal law and human rights. She spent the first half of this summer studying multilateral diplomacy and conducting research on the Genocide Convention in Geneva, Switzerland. She hopes to enter graduate school for International Relations and/or law school after graduation.
Marline Gay
Marline Gay is from Brooklyn, NY and is currently a rising senior at Boston College. She is sociology major and a philosophy minor. This summer, she will also begin working on her Senior Honors Thesis as a part of the Sociology Honors Program at BC. Marline is an active participant of several student groups on campus including Word of Mouth (public speaking club), Haitian Association, Caribbean Culture Club, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Student Association, and FACES (anti-racist organization).
Jessica Caroll
Jessica attended Radford University and double majored in Political Science and Spanish. Currently, Jessica is attending the Whitehead School of Diplomacy at Seton Hall University. Her specializations are International Law, Human Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. Before interning with the International Justice Project, Jessica interned at the NGO Committee on the Status of Women in New York City, where she was immersed in women’s rights issues and the inter-workings of the United Nations. After graduate school, Jessica plans to pursue work with a Human Rights NGO or attend law school to pursue international law.
Chitra Shah
Chitra Shah graduated from Rutgers New Brunswick with a degree in Political Science and History in 2010. She is currently a graduate student in the Division of Global Affairs at Rutgers Newark. During the summer of 2010, she interned with the International WoW company as a member of their social media campaign to promote Academy Award nomininated “Gasland”, an HBO documentary dealing with the impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing. Simultaneously, she interned with a non-profit project inspired by the book “No Impact Man” encouraging sustainable environment. Upon the completion of her IJP internship, she is looking forward to applying to law school to obtain a J.D. in International law.
Kristina Hon
Kristina Hon received her Bachelor’s degree in both history and international relations from George Washington University in 2009. During that time, she studied abroad three times and was able to finish her degrees in three years. She is currently a dual degree student at the Seton Hall University School of Law and Seton Hall University’s Whitehead School of Diplomacy and
International Relations. She expects her degrees in 2013. This past winter she studied human trafficking and piracy in Zanzibar, Tanzania. She hopes to work for the State Department in either a legal or foreign policy capacity.
Andrew Brown
Andrew Brown is a graduate of Rutgers University New Brunswick Campus, and holds a degree in Political Science and Sociology. After his graduation from Rutgers in 2008, he worked as a paralegal in NYC and downtown Newark for two years before deciding to enter law school. He is presently a rising 2L at Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando, FL, with a concentration in Criminal and International law
Mark Edwards
Mark Edwards is a rising second-year graduate student at the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. His degree specializations are international law and human rights and Africa. Mark has a Bachelor of Arts in African history from the University of California, Santa Cruz. His particular areas of interest are prosecutions of human rights violations, children’s rights, genocide, conflict, and conflict reconstruction. He will be graduating in May 2012 and hopes to continue his education either through law school or a history graduate program.
Philip McHarris
Philip McHarris is a rising sophomore at Boston College in the school of Arts and Sciences. He is currently double majoring in History and Sociology with minors in African & African Diaspora studies as well as Gender and Woman Studies with a Pre-Law concentration. At BC, Phil is the incoming Vice-President for the Congress of the United Front, an organization dedicated to increasing community, collaboration, and consciousness amongst the African and the African Diaspora community with a focus on advancing an anti-oppression agenda. In addition, Phil is also a Faces council member; the only organization on campus dedicated to an anti-racist agenda that raises consciousness through dialogue. After finishing his undergraduate education, Phil plans to pursue a Masters in Sociology and J.D. degrees. He hopes to practice human rights law with a long term goal of sitting in one of the chambers in Congress.
William Pons
William Pons received his B.A. in Political Science from University of St. Thomas (MN) 2005; his Masters in International Relations from Villanova University 2008; and is expecting a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2012. Throughout his undergraduate and graduate matriculation he has studied in Greece, Egypt, and Switzerland. While in graduate school at Villanova he was selected to be a member of a model UN team sent to the American University in Cairo and interned with Green Cross International, an international NGO in Geneva, Switzerland for in 2007. Upon completion of his J.D. William hopes to work in the field of international humanitarian law.
Sara Ishage
Sara Ishage recently graduated from New Jersey City University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. While at New Jersey City University she was active in the Student Government Organization serving on both the Election and Credentials Committee and The Finance Committee. She also served on the executive boards of the Biology Club, African Students’ Organization, and the Muslim Students’ Association. During her spare time she volunteers at the Liberty Science Center and at the UNICEF headquarters. Sara plans are to pursue a Masters in International Relations and to work for an human rights NGO.
Mehak Jamil
Mehak Jamil graduated from New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business in 2006 with a bachelors in Finance and International Business. After working in commercial banking for 4 years, she decided to pursue a J.D. from Fordham University in New York. Mehak has a deep-rooted interest in international human rights, and will be working with the Fordham Law Clinic for International Human Rights in Africa in the fall of 2011.
Chloe Tomlinson
Chloe Tomlinson is a rising senior at Tufts University, majoring in Peace and Justice Studies. She spent her spring 2011 semester living in Northern Uganda and studying Post-Conflict Transformation. There she partnered with Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach to conduct research on uses of the internet in peace building. In the United States, Chloe has been involved with several social justice oriented non-profit organizations. She worked with Peer Health Exchange in Boston, and Breakthrough Collaborative, Spells Writing Lab, and the Arab American Community Development Corporation in Philadelphia. After graduation, Chloe hopes to return to East Africa to build upon her previous experiences.
Wesley Webster
Wesley (Yehudah) Webster is a rising sophomore at List College, a joint program with Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). He plans to major in Sociology at Columbia University while majoring in Bible at JTS. During the school year Mr. Webster is a Hebrew School teacher at both the Oheb Shalom congregation in South Orange, and at the United Synagogue of Hoboken. He is also a Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor, and volunteers as a Cub Scout leader for Pack 520 in New York City. Mr. Webster aspires to attend Rabbinical School after he completes his undergraduate education.
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The IJP Experience
“Meeting survivors of the Darfur genocide, hearing their stories and seeing their hope affirms the essential role that the International Criminal Court plays in being a voice for the voiceless and striving to deter international crimes. The IJP fights for the dignity of humanity. On a personal level, interning at the IJP has deepened my desire to seek justice for the oppressed and marginalized and has reaffirmed my calling to practice human rights law.”
-Danielle Storm, Seton Hall University Class of 2010, IJP Intern Spring 2010. Danielle is currently attending Pittsburgh University School of Law.
“The Darfur conflict needs resolution and even if my time spent here was a mere three months, I know that my three months of work went towards furthering this goal. I will never forget my experience here and am very glad that I took the opportunity. Thanks again for everything.”
-Cole Gumm, Seton Hall University Class of 2010, IJP Intern Spring 2010. Cole is currently attending Baylor University School of Law.
