Class of 2028

Aryana Azizi

Aryana Azizi was born and raised in Maryland before moving to Houston, Texas, where her passion for equity and public service took root. After obtaining her degree in Political Science from the University of Houston, Aryana served as a Policy Analyst for Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones, where she played a key role in advancing environmental policy. Her work on the Harris County Climate Action Plan was grounded in the urgent need for climate resilience and justice. She helped bring to life federally funded solar initiatives that expanded clean energy access to low-income communities and contributed to the county’s broader shift toward renewable energy. Aryana also helped lead the development and passage of the very first Climate Justice Plan ever adopted by a county in Texas. She facilitated community outreach—engaging hundreds of Houstonians across neighborhoods, languages, and backgrounds—to ensure the plan was rooted in the lived experiences of the people it aimed to serve. Her work reflected a belief that environmental policy must be both science-driven and community-centered. Prior to this role, Aryana worked as an Intern for State Representative Armando Walle, and as Speaker of the Senate in the University of Houston’s Student Government Association. Across each of these positions, she brought a commitment to accessible governance, grassroots organizing, and inclusive decision-making. Aryana is entering law school with a proven record of public service and a dedication to shaping a more just and sustainable future.

 

Giulia Duch Clerici

Giulia Duch (she/her) grew up in Barcelona and moved to Washington, D.C., with her family when she was in high school. Her work on migration justice has had her bouncing between the U.S. and Europe ever since. She attended Tulane University in New Orleans, then moved to Northern Greece to support grassroots humanitarian efforts at the border, working with people on the move who were seeking safety and opportunity. Back in D.C., she worked at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, providing legal orientation to individuals detained in ICE facilities. Curious to better understand the legal system and immigration enforcement in Spain, she returned to Barcelona to pursue a master’s in criminal justice and organize with migrant justice organizations. Driven to gain a systems-level perspective, she has spent the past few years at The Pew Charitable Trusts on the Courts & Communities team, where she partners with state judicial leaders, legislators, and advocates to improve court policies for the millions of people who navigate them without an attorney each year. At AUWCL, Giulia hopes to combine her direct service experience, research and policy background and legal education to advocate for more accessible and just legal systems. In her free time, she enjoys backpacking, running into neighbors in Mount Pleasant, and hammocking in Rock Creek Park.

 

Maria Espinoza

Maria Espinoza grew up in Immokalee, Florida and is from a farmworker family. During her childhood she migrated with her family throughout the Southeast following the tomato harvest as migrant farmworkers. This is where her passion for labor rights, immigration policy, and grassroots organizing began. Maria is an alum of the Univeristy of Florida where she graduated with a B.A. in Crimminology and a B.S. in Agricultural Education and Communication. After undergrad, she began her career at the National Opinion Research Center, where she worked on national research projects evaluating the health and wellbeing of migrant farmworker families. She then worked at Farmworker Justice as a Project Coordinator working with grassroot organizations across the country implementing workplace sexual harassment intervention and prevention programs. Most recently, she served in the Biden-Harris administration working in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Labor. Maria hopes to utilize her legal career to expand the rights of low-wage workers.

 

Danielle Gerger

Danielle Gerger (she/her) grew up in San Diego, California, and studied political science and environmental studies at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Always interested in the intersection of the environment and the general welfare, she became involved in several research projects during her undergraduate studies, including the effects of reforestation in the Andes of Peru and energy equity in the Navajo Nation. Upon graduating in 2022, she joined the Peace Corps as an Agriculture Volunteer in Paraguay. She spent two years in a rural community teaching classes on sustainable agriculture at a vocational high school and helping a women’s agriculture committee improve their soil management practices. She also led a waste management project and organized an eco-club for school-aged children. Upon completing her agriculture project, she extended her service for another six months, working with A Todo Pulmón Paraguay Respira, a local reforestation NGO in the capital of Asunción. Her time working in development abroad revealed to her how a changing climate can reduce life opportunities for people, force migratory patterns, and impact food security. Seeing firsthand the need for advancing public interest law to uplift vulnerable populations motivates Danielle to join the AUWCL community, focusing on how climate change impacts international human rights. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, gardening, camping, and spending time with her Paraguayan cat, Suegrita.

Mikayla Kitchen

Mikayla Kitchen is a passionate public health advocate dedicated to advancing health equity, civic engagement, and justice. A recent graduate of the University of Missouri, she earned a B.H.S. in Public Health with minors in Leadership & Public Service and Political Science. As a small town-town Kansas native she believes in grounded, community-centered perspectives to advancing public health. She currently serves as a Holistic Defense Advocate and AmeriCorps Member with the Missouri State Public Defender’s Office, where she supports clients in rural areas by addressing social determinants of justice—connecting them to vital resources such as mental health care, housing, and substance use treatment. Her previous experience includes legislative internships at the U.S. House of Representatives and the Missouri State Capitol, where she supported public health and education policy efforts. Mikayla has contributed to state and nationwide public health research through the Missouri Eliminate Tobacco Use Initiative and has been a keynote speaker and panel moderator on youth tobacco use and health education. A certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), she also holds multiple certifications in suicide prevention and recovery support. In every role—from leading a Red Cross student organization to mentoring youth in low-income communities—Mikayla is guided by a strong sense of service, equity, and leadership. She plans to continue her career at the intersection of public health, policy, and justice.

Chioma Nwoye

Raised by educators in a deeply immigrant community, Chioma recognizes the vitality in community for change making. Inspired by the countless jailhouse lawyers who freed themselves, Chioma hopes to learn from and support the empowerment and liberation of all who are criminalized by state violence. With a dual degree in Cinema Media Studies and Critical Race & Ethnic Studies from the University of Chicago, Chioma credits the greater city and struggle as the most impactful teacher. Following graduation Chioma has worked closely with United African Organization as a legal assistant prioritizing service and support for Black and African new arrivals in Chicago. This experience has confirmed the urgent need for legal power to be available for those who are most diversely oppressed, while exercising hope and direct action as a discipline. Chioma enjoys running, cooking, films, and all three with loved ones. Chioma is eager to learn and practice with PIPS and AUWCL.

 

Katherine Olsson

Katherine Olsson (She/Her) discovered her passion for human rights advocacy and public service while living in Panama during high school. In Panama she achieved fluency in Spanish, though she has been speaking the language since the age of 2. After graduating high school, Katherine moved back to the United States for university where she graduated Magna Cum Laude from American University, double majoring in International Relations, with a focus on Latin America and Human Rights, as well as Economics. She also earned certifications in both Community Based Research and Spanish Translation. Katherine comes to the PIPS program after working for the past 3 years as an immigration paralegal specialist with the Esperanza Center in Baltimore. There, she has been working with recent immigrants, with a focus on supporting survivors of violence in their immigration proceedings. She prides herself on combining legal principles with a trauma-informed approach to legal work in order to support her clients. Prior to her time as a paralegal, Katherine worked as a Case Manager in an Emergency Response for Immigrant Families program. As a case manager she connected immigrant families with socio-economic programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Katherine looks forward to bringing her passion for both human rights advocacy and community-based public service to AUWCL in order to learn, grow, and develop a strong career centered around helping others.

Amy  Rivera

Born and raised in a low-income immigrant family, Amy Rivera faced the effects of race, poverty, and immigration at a very young age. These experiences inspired her to get involved in her community in order to help others and to learn more about what can be done to tackle these issues. She would often volunteer with various community organizations and attend protests in support of social justice issues that impacted vulnerable populations within the DMV area. By bearing witness to the struggles of others, assisting them with their material needs, and being in solidarity with them, she developed a passion for public service, which drove her to pursue public interest law. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2023 with a degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice and Government & Politics and a minor in US Latinx Studies. Her education, in conjunction with her organizing and policy work with CASA and Political Latinx United for Movement and Action in Society, compelled her to focus her career on criminal and immigration legal reform. She developed a particular interest in defense work during her time working as a paralegal for the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, where she helps detained immigrants obtain legal aid. She intends to represent indigent individuals in the courtroom and in Congress through legislative advocacy and hopes to develop a free legal educational program within Black and Latinx majority high schools in Prince George’s County to teach students about their legal rights while promoting leadership and relationship-building through community service, both of which significantly changed her life.

Anthony Thomas

Anthony is a native of Washington, D.C., alumni of the George Washington University, and former media and public relations professional. From a young age he has been surrounded by politics and interested in the ways it impacts our lives. Anthony comes to the PIPs program after multiple jobs in political advocacy, most notably working for the Government of the District of Columbia and most recently the Roosevelt Institute. While working for the DC Government, Anthony had the opportunity to serve his hometown by promoting helpful programs and government initiatives that he was passionate about, such as the Mayor's Office of Returning Citizen Affairs. At the Roosevelt Institute, he helped to promote economic proposals that would reduce inequality and create a fairer economy for all. Anthony graduated from the George Washington University in 2022 on a full-ride scholarship with a Masters in Media and Strategic Communications and a Bachelors in Political Communications. Through growing up in the nation's capital and through his studies, he learned about the deep flaws and biases in the American criminal justice system, the American economy, and the slow creep of authoritarianism as it plays out in our communities. Anthony learned through his studies and work experience how to impact change on those issues through political advocacy, but also that a common thread through all of these issues is the law. At AUWCL, Anthony hopes to become a better advocate and gain the skills to fight for his community in ways that a press release could not.
 

Elizabeth Woody 

Elizabeth Woody (she/her) grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and received a Bachelor’s Degree with majors in Political Science and Spanish and a minor in Arabic Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). During her time at UNL, she completed internships at Lincoln Literacy, a non-profit dedicated to providing free English classes to immigrants, and the Center for Legal Immigration Assistance, a non-profit immigration law firm. She also worked at the International Student and Scholar Office at UNL. Through these experiences, she developed an understanding of the systemic marginalization of immigrants in the United States and the huge equity gap in immigrants' access to legal and social services. Following graduation, Elizabeth returned to the Center for Legal Immigration Assistance as a Project Coordinator for the Victims of Crime Act grant program. In this role, she coordinated mental health and legal assistance for immigrant survivors of violence. She then received partial accreditation from the Department of Justice to practice immigration law. As a DOJ Accredited Representative, she represented immigrants in applying for immigration benefits from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, including U Visas (victims of crime) T Visas (victims of trafficking), asylum, family-based petitions, and naturalization. At AUWCL, Elizabeth looks forward to building her capacity to represent immigrants in more complex matters such as immigration court and federal litigation. Elizabeth plans to continue working in nonprofit immigration law upon receiving her J.D.

Class of 2027

Jude Ahmed

Jude Ahmed (she/her) grew up in the Seattle area and studied Economics, Political Science at Western Washington University. Her community has been her greatest teacher, grounding her studies in political movements and policy development through collective struggle and grassroots advocacy. During her time at university, Jude discovered her passion for organizing and public policy through her leadership in the Arab Student Association and her role as a registered lobbyist representing over 100,000 college students statewide. Jude worked her way to becoming the Advocacy Program Manager at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. Working within an organization that provides comprehensive support services, she gained a deeper understanding of the intersecting needs disproportionately affecting the Black community in the Seattle area. Jude leveraged her lobbying skills to bring her colleagues' experiences in providing legal, economic, educational, and health services to the attention of policymakers. Her exposure to the connections between incarceration and poverty drove her to focus on criminal justice reform. Thus, she joined the ACLU of Washington as a campaign organizer, where she worked on reforming the state’s criminal justice system and coordinating coalition efforts to advance critical legislation. Looking ahead, Jude hopes to combine her organizing skills with direct legal service after law school, aiming to address the critical need for legal assistance. Jude lives by the mantra "design our democracy," reflecting her belief in building a more inclusive and engaging democratic society as the foundation for systemic change. She has served on the board of FairVote Washington and as Vice Chair of Voter Participation for the King County Citizens' Election Oversight Committee. In these roles, Jude brings her expertise in organizing and legislative strategy, driving efforts to enhance voter engagement and representation. In her free time, Jude enjoys cooking Egyptian food, watching movies, and asking to pet every dog she meets.

 

Claudia Arias

Claudia Arias (she/her) comes to the PIPS program after working as a legal assistant at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in Newark, New Jersey. During her time at AFSC she worked with undocumented survivors of domestic violence to prepare applications for U-Visas and VAWA self-petitions. Before her time at AFSC, she was a legal assistant for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Newark’s premiere legal orientation program for unrepresented respondents in deportation proceedings. She graduated with a BA in political science from The College of New Jersey in 2020, followed by an AmeriCorps term at Norwescap, a nonprofit servicing low and middle-income people in Northwest New Jersey. As an AmeriCorps member at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she became motivated to work toward dismantling the systemic inequalities that most affect people of marginalized identities.  Claudia is the proud daughter of Venezuelan immigrants. In her downtime, she enjoys watching movies, going to concerts, and spending time with her husband and two cats, Kahuna and Ricky.

Ally Brown

Ally Brown (she/her) joins PIPS after a decade of working in the labor movement and progressive politics. As an opposition researcher, she has conducted and oversaw research for Democratic campaigns from the municipal and state-legislative to the presidential level. She has also provided support to labor unions and progressive groups like Planned Parenthood, Working Families Party, and the League of Conservation Voters. In her various roles, including serving as Research Director of a female-owned political research consulting firm, Ally has held companies accountable for illegal anti-unionization practices and helped expose anti-worker legislators and organizations. She’s also worked on teams that have elected pro-union candidates, connected working families with crucial state and federal resources, and fought against billionaires attempting to influence elections. Originally from New Jersey, Ally graduated from George Washington University in 2014, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Statistics and French. During and after college, she traveled to Florida to protest for better working conditions for migrant farmworkers with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. She also helped run a high school leadership conference in D.C. to empower service-minded young professionals. After living in Chicago for three years, she is excited to move back to D.C. to attend AUWCL to further her commitment to workers’ rights. 

Emily Clarkson

Emily Clarkson (they/she) grew up in San Diego, California before moving to the Sacramento area to attend the University of California (UC), Davis. They graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Spanish. They found their passion for direct legal services at age 20 while studying abroad in Santiago, Chile. While there, Emily interned at INCAMI (Chilean Catholic Institute of Migration), an organization that provides free immigration legal services to immigrants in Santiago. Her internship at INCAMI sparked her commitment to utilizing the law as a tool for social justice. After returning to the United States, they spent almost the next five years at the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center, where they worked as first an intern and later as a legal assistant to provide free immigration legal services to UC students and their immediate family members. She is excited to join the PIPS community at AUWCL and explore Washington DC.

Amanda FitzWilliam

Amanda FitzWilliam (she/her) grew up in Oakville, a suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri. Amanda found her passion for business thanks to her incredible teachers in high school. She attended Clemson University and studied Financial Management while minoring in Accounting and Political Science. While at Clemson, Amanda saw the disparity between the financial knowledge needed for the real world and the lack of opportunities to learn it while in school. This knowledge gap inspired her to start FitzWilliam Financial Services, an organization that provides free financial literacy to students and young adults to help them reach their financial dreams. Amanda has helped clients with budgeting, investing, understanding debt, and more. She hopes to continue to use her financial background and interest in advocacy when she enters the legal field. At AUWCL, Amanda is excited to be surrounded by people with a similar passion for helping others and is looking forward to all the opportunities the public interest field offers.

Dominic Lyles

As a Black man who grew up in Northeast, Washington, D.C., Dominic Lyles (he/him) dedicated himself to the law to do his part in improving the material conditions experienced by the most marginalized members within DC and abroad—particularly those of African descent. On a full-ride football scholarship, he earned his Bachelor of Arts from Bucknell University in 2022, where he studied International Relations with a particular focus on culture and identity within Latin America and the Caribbean. As an undergraduate student, Dominic was introduced to concepts and ideas that exposed structural systems that promote and maintain severe levels of inequality within our society. His comprehension of structural violence deepened when Dominic undertook several different roles as a public servant within DC, including when he interned with the esteemed Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia as an intern investigator. In directly assisting public defenders and investigators within both the trials and parole divisions, Dominic witnessed empirically how Black people are portrayed in this system; how the system works to incarcerate Black men, women, and children; and the complexity of the flawed criminal justice system at-large. Dominic then went on to serve as an AmeriCorps member at DC Prep Public Charter School in Northeast DC, where he taught 7th Grade English Language Arts for two years, and as a volunteer at So Others Might Eat’s adult workforce development program in Southeast DC, where he provided insight and advice to students, most of whom are aged between 25 and 50 years, regarding the interview process, resume construction and polishing, and goal-setting skills. In addition to being a community organizer, Dominic has committed himself to become an attorney practicing within the public sector of law, where he plans to utilize his legal education as a tool to further dismantle existing socioeconomic structures that impede the freedoms of all marginalized communities.

Jayla Simonne Meeks

Jayla Simone Meeks' commitment to advocacy is deeply rooted in personal experiences navigating systemic injustices, fueling her dedication to transforming broken systems and advocating for marginalized communities. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Organizational Studies, with a minor in Musical Theatre, from the University of Tulsa as a first-generation college graduate. Her academic journey involved excelling in her studies and taking on leadership roles, which included receiving multiple honors such as a Certificate of Special Congressional & Senatorial Recognition and being named to the President's Honor Roll. Notably, while serving as President of the Association of Black Collegians, she organized her peers to initiate policy changes that continue to impact students long after her matriculation, promoting diversity and inclusion. Her work with the Terence Crutcher Foundation in historic Black Wall Street has been an honor of a lifetime, focusing on advancing policy, strengthening the community through grassroots organizing, and honoring the legacy of Terence Crutcher and the survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre while advocating for police accountability. Engaging in initiatives that connect systemic issues to building community power ensures that those closest to problems become closest to the solutions. Recently, she has collaborated with political leaders, notably serving with the Harris-Walz campaign, where she provided strategic and logistical support. Her long-term goal is to blend law, policy, advocacy, and entrepreneurship to create pathways to wealth and liberation for marginalized communities.

Lauren Talley

Lauren Talley (she/her) is excited to join the PIPS community after almost three years at the de Beaumont Foundation where she split her time between two programs: CityHealth, a health policy initiative in the 75 largest U.S. cities, and the Big Cities Health Coalition, a coalition of 35 large city health departments. With these programs she worked at the intersection of policy and public health, advocating for policies that address the social determinants of health for communities across the country. Prior to the de Beaumont Foundation, Lauren completed a service year with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps where she was placed at Health Care for the Homeless in Baltimore, Maryland as a policy and engagement assistant. This role prompted her interest in public health as she worked on the health outcomes of food insecurity and advocated for increased access to health care and affordable housing in Baltimore. While completing her undergraduate degree, she conducted research on food insecurity rates among children under age five and the impact of COVID-19 on food accessibility in North Carolina. Lauren graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020 with a BA in Public Policy and Political Science.

Delisha Thompson

Delisha Thompson (she/her) is a double Terp who graduated with her M.A. in Public Policy in 2018, and her B.A. in Government and Politics in 2014 from the University of Maryland College Park. She was a Banneker/Key Scholar in undergrad and a Graduate Teaching Assistant in graduate school. During her time at Maryland, Delisha tutored students in the College Bound Program, mentored local high schoolers, planned and executed community service events, worked with survivors of sex trafficking, helped her students launch social entrepreneurship projects, and much more. Delisha is most proud of her master's capstone, which focused on providing various policy solutions to address the mental health crisis on Maryland’s campus. Due to her coursework on comparative racism/ethnocentrism domestically and in Asia, after obtaining her master's, Delisha moved to Taiwan and worked at Tunghai University. She taught over 300 students about diversity, equity, and inclusion using English as the vehicle. While applying to law school, Delisha worked at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law to understand mental health advocacy from a legal lens. As an adoptee, Delisha is also a strong advocate of adoption policy reform and making the adoption process child-centered to help fix the current system, which she believes is broken and inherently unethical. Delisha hopes to spend her time in law school examining racism and ethnocentrism, and their varied impacts on different areas of the legal system both domestically and abroad. She will also continue to advocate for better mental health policies at post-secondary institutions. Ms. Thompson’s strong passion for advocacy and mental health reform was inspired by her mother, who provided mental health services to Baltimore City children for more than 30 years. 

Taylor Trimble

Taylor Trimble (she/her) is a Chicago native and recent graduate from Denison University, a liberal arts college hidden in Granville, Ohio where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Politics and Public Affairs. Throughout her undergraduate experience, Taylor committed her time in-and-out of college to racial equity, particularly educational equity. Specifically, Taylor was an active member of Denison University’s Black Student Union, creating and spearheading innovative programs dedicated to providing career preparation, professional development, and civic education to Black undergraduate students and other racially marginalized groups on-campus. Taylor’s efforts were often recognized by the University, resulting in awards such as the Denison Forward Excellence Award, the President’s Medal, the Distinguished Service Award, and the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism) Person of the Year Award. Outside of the University, Taylor has held several notable internships including a research internship with the Brookings Institution’s Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative, a seasonal internship with one of Chicago’s Cook County Commissioners, a legislative internship with Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland’s DC Office, and a policy internship with the Urban Institute’s Office of Policy Impact. Taylor’s interests for racial equity and educational equity run deep and she hopes to bring these passions to AUWCL, which she believes will equip her with the knowledge and tools necessary to better advance educational equity for racially marginalized groups both through law and public policy.

Class of 2026

Rachel Bechtel

Rachel (she/her) is a disability justice activist with experience in direct support, advocacy, and research. Rachel is originally from Moscow, Idaho, where she was introduced to disability culture at a young age through her friends and family. She graduated from Carroll College in Helena, Montana with a degree in Psychology. During this time, she researched disability-based wage discrimination and promoted increased accessibility on campus and in her community. After graduation, she provided individual and systemic advocacy as an advocacy specialist at Disability Rights Montana. Rachel then lived and worked as a Direct Support Professional within a cooperative living community for adults with and without intellectual disabilities in Portland, Oregon. She recently finished a Fulbright grant in Canterbury, England, where she completed a Master’s by Research Degree and studied the effects of relationships on prejudice towards people with intellectual disabilities. Rachel is excited to attend AUWCL and hopes to continue to promote disability justice.

Zev Braun

Zev (he/him) grew up in the small, ideologically-diverse community of Hood River, Oregon. There, glaring inequalities based on ethnicity and immigration status sparked a winding career journey that would eventually lead him to AUWCL.­­­ After graduating from Grinnell College in 2015 with a Bachelor’s in Biology, Zev began work as an emergency medical technician and drug addiction recovery specialist in Portland, Oregon, with the intent to become a physician. Discouraged by the quality of our healthcare system and the social determinants of health, however, Zev took a break from that as an AmeriCorps volunteer in a different rural Oregon community than his hometown. Assigned to health education in an alternative high school, he witnessed both terrible impacts of childhood trauma and incredible resiliency in the student body—spurring a fundamental re-evaluation of his career and lifepath; Zev gave up the path of medical professional in favor of policy advocacy and systems change as a lifelong commitment. In graduate school after AmeriCorps ended, Zev studied health policy and law at Boston University School of Public Health, devoting his coursework towards gun violence prevention advocacy. In his spare time, Zev used funding from a university challenge grant to interview family members who had lost loved ones to gun violence in Boston, and develop a website to uplift their voices in pushing for policy changes and systems investments on the city level. After graduation, Zev returned to Oregon, where he first worked for a state policy nonprofit focused on firearm safety—contributing to the eventual passage of Oregon’s safe firearm storage law (SB 554)—and second worked for a Portland metro county’s health department as their suicide prevention coordinator.

christine cha

As a Korean American, Christine (she/her) graduated and received her Bachelor of Arts from Bucknell University in 2021 double majoring in political science and philosophy. Christine became committed to her passion for the law when she interned in Chatham County Juvenile court in Savannah, Georgia, within the prosecutor’s office. Working with the prosecutors, she took and recorded victim statements, helping maintain structure and clarity for the juvenile court as a whole. She saw firsthand how families and children’s lives were being determined by the law, especially those from marginalized communities, for their future and livelihoods. But she also saw how her local government and the juvenile court worked towards making changes within the system, such as thinking of ways to introduce restorative justice and taking a family-first approach. Thus, she found her purpose on how to serve her community through the legal realm. Christine has worked in various realms within the public service and public interest arena, from nonprofit work to local county government. She was one of four people in her school to receive the Shepherd Hill Consortium for Poverty summer internship program and worked for Bread for the City in Washington DC as a housing social service worker. Christine has worked with hundreds of clients on their affordable housing applications in DC and nonnative English speakers for their social security and housing applications. Christine’s perspective on the legal system’s role within the family became more nuanced and enhanced after she became an AmeriCorps member. She worked as a Crisis Rapid Response Coordinator with families in three different counties in Central Pennsylvania (Northumberland, Snyder, Union Counties). As a Crisis Rapid Response worker, when children were at risk of being taken away from their family, often within the end of the day, she made sure that a family meeting was held as soon as possible to face the emergency. Her most rewarding yet demanding role as a Crisis Rapid Response worker meant coordinating with hundreds of family members, their supports, schools, local prisons, and their social workers to make sure the children could stay with kinship support rather than be put in the foster system. Families were often dealing with issues such as poverty, substance use, and mental health crises, and she learned how to serve them, so they felt as much agency in the process as possible. However, Christine felt throughout her career that there were severe limitations as a social worker, whereas attorneys had the power to help their clients feel safe and supported. She chose the law because she could make a greater difference as a lawyer because people trust and rely on their lawyers to protect them and their best interests. Christine’s dedication and drive towards working with marginalized and destabilized families, and committing to family and juvenile law is something that she will pursue within her time and WCL and beyond. 

nicole devereaux

Nicole (she/her) has spent nearly 20 years helping people engage in their most important conversations. As a certified Conversational Intelligence® coach, Nicole facilitated innovative conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion practices at public interest organizations, including the NYC Department of Health and the National Housing Trust in Washington, D.C. Nicole was also an anti-bias trainer with AmazeWorks. In that role, she led conversations in K-12 schools about identity, differences, stereotypes, and taking action against bias-based mistreatment. Formerly, Nicole served at a women’s crisis center in Minneapolis. Initially hired to launch a material assistance program, she was inspired by conversations with clients to co-create an education program to support their parenting journeys, mental health, job readiness, and financial freedom. Nicole is also a Restorative Circle Keeper and Nonviolent Communication practitioner. She has planted non-denominational churches in Minneapolis, MN and Brooklyn, NY, where she provided pro bono lay counseling, conflict resolution, and welcomed hundreds of neighbors around her table. For her 40th birthday, Nicole fundraised $40,000. She donated the funds to nonprofits serving refugees, female entrepreneurs, and survivors of sex trafficking. Prior to joining the PIPS community, Nicole spent 2 years living in a motorhome and traveling across the U.S. with her husband, two daughters and dog. She is eager to take on her next adventure as a law student and future public servant, with a particular interest in advancing racial justice.

gabriela dickson la rotta

Gabriela (she/her) joins PIPS after almost three years at the Public Justice Center, a Baltimore-based impact litigation firm, where she supported the Human Right to Housing Team on eviction-related matters. Helping attorneys represent clients in Baltimore housing court and pushing for policy solutions in the Maryland state legislature informed her decision to pursue a career working with clients and effecting change at the systemic level. Born in Brazil to journalist parents from Colombia and Argentina, Gabriela grew up in Miami, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and New York. She graduated in 2020 with a B.S. in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University. Upon graduation, she was a Spanish/English interpreter for the Cornell Law School farmworker legal assistance clinic. She is currently Special Projects Coordinator for Project Lifeline, a non-profit organization that supports legal practitioners in their work with immigrant youth. She co-created the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Predicate Order Resource Center, including the State-by-State Age-Out Database, a tool used by thousands of attorneys around the U.S. every day. In her free time, she enjoys reading romance novels, baking for friends and family, and singing in her Baltimore-based a cappella group.  

lydia galvan

Lydia (she/her/ella) is a Chicana woman from Texas. She is dedicated to transforming the legal and policy systems that impact immigrant families, like hers, to better serve and honor the sacrifice, bravery, and dreams of those who journey to the United States. In previous roles, Lydia has explored areas of interest, including education and housing. She worked within Fort Worth, Texas, organizing community members to advance racial equity efforts in public education. In her real estate career, she saw the realities of redlining and gentrification across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. She brings a diverse set of experiences from designing advocacy campaigns locally and statewide to negotiating contracts for home sales. Lydia is a graduate of Texas Christian University, where she studied political science with an emphasis in comparative race and ethnic studies. She is a yoga teacher, amateur gardener, and loves exploring new interests and she is eager to join the PIPS community at AU! 

 

kayla keech

Kayla (she/her) continues her studies at the Washington College of Law after three years at the Office of Generic Drug Policy in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While at FDA, she served as the subject-matter expert on all administrative matters for the office. Kayla led the office’s transition to a fully remote office during the COVID-19 global pandemic and, eventually, to a hybrid workplace. She streamlined workflow processes and developed and communicated policies and procedures to staff. Kayla also volunteered to serve on the Office of Generic Drugs Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee. Leveraging her experience as a person with a disability, she organized the Committee’s inaugural event on incorrect stereotypes and interacting with people with disabilities. Previously, Kayla interned in the Office of the Parliamentarian in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she assisted a team of lawyers who advised members of both parties on House rules. Here, she helped edit the second volume of Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives. Kayla graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a B.S. in Public Policy and Administration and a minor in Spanish.

junnah Mozaffar

Junnah (she/her) is incredibly grateful to join this year’s PIPS cohort. After the United States’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Junnah quickly shifted her priorities. In her senior year of college, she joined Development Alternative Inc. 's (DAI), Emergency Response Team to manage their Special Immigration Visa (SIV) requests. In her role, she researched, wrote, and processed application materials that would allow DAI’s Afghan employees to enter the U.S. The raw experiences of Afghans fleeing the Taliban while stranded in the visa system exposed the shortcomings of immigration policy. As much of the world remained silent, Junnah paused her pursuit of law school for a year to continue her work at DAI. Outside of work, she taught adult English classes and helped newly-arrived families integrate to their new home. Junnah is a Virginia native. She holds a B.A. in both Philosophy and Psychology from the College of William and Mary.

kayla Rivers

Kayla (she/her) joins the PIPS community from St. Thomas, U.S Virgin Islands, where she was born and raised. Her interest in law school and community advocacy is rooted in her passion for social justice. In the 2 years prior to entering Washington College of Law, Kayla served as a Legislative Staffer in the 34th and 35th Legislatures of the US Virgin Islands, focusing primarily on education, public safety and labor policy. In her role, she worked on policy that aimed to improve student achievement for students with behavioral issues, advocated for victims of crimes against a person and sought to increase equitable opportunities for employment. In addition to her work in policy, Kayla worked in the nonprofit realm increasing civic engagement in Generation Z and Millennial populations. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Anthropology and a minor in International Relations from Seton Hall University. Research in her undergraduate studies explored educational and social programs for youth that would limit gun violence in the Virgin Islands, criminal justice reform, and social determinants of health in historically marginalized communities. By the culmination of her undergraduate studies Kayla earned Seton Hall University’s 2021 University Award for Distinguished Leadership due to her extensive efforts working to increase equity and inclusion on college campuses through facilitation, program coordination and policy implementation. Kayla looks forward to her experience as a PIPS scholar at WCL hoping to combine her background in research, policy and advocacy for historically marginalized communities with the law.