Each summer, the Schell Center funds Kirby Simon fellows pursuing human rights work around the world. In 2019, Colombia, Germany, South Africa, Myanmar, and the U.S. were just a few of the countries where 40 Kirby Simon Fellows worked.
Rising 2L Kayla Crowell spent summer 2020 interning remotely from New Haven for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland. She worked on various projects for the #IBelong campaign to end statelessness by 2024.
Rising 3L Laith Aqel (left) and 2L Mark Stevens (right) were in San Francisco in summer 2019 working at the Center for Justice & Accountability, which represents victims of human rights abuses in litigation against perpetrators to advance global justice.
In summer 2020, Andrew Ntim worked remotely from New Haven for the Southern African Litigation Centre in Johnannesburg on lawsuits challenging the criminalization of poverty.
Rising junior Elaina Foley spent Summer 2020 interning remotely with the Lowenstein Clinic, working on issues relating to incarceration.
Camila Bustos ’21 interned during summer 2019 with the Climate Litigation Network, a project of Urgenda in Amsterdam & London. The network supports strategic litigation around the world to demand greater government action on climate change.
Yale junior Danielle Harris worked at the Scalabrini Centre in Cape Town, South Africa in summer 2019. She worked on Scalabrini’s legal Advocacy team, helping refugees and migrants both with their cases as well as with adjusting to South African society.
Sarah Bernardo, Caleb Yong, and Matthew Linsley, all rising 2Ls, were in Strasbourg, France in 2019 working with the Research Division of the European Court of Human Rights, an international tribunal that rules on alleged breaches of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Rising 2L Evelin Caro Gutierrez spent her summer 2020 working with Chambers of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals – The Hague Branch. She worked remotely from Houston, Texas.
Yale College junior, Brenda Cachay, was in DC in summer 2019 with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an entity whose goal is to promote and protect human rights in the American hemisphere through an individual petition system, monitoring, and training.
Rising 2L Ify Chikezie interned remotely in Summer 2020 at both The Sentry and Minority Rights Group International, focusing on investigating corruption and protecting rights of ethnic minorities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In summer 2020, rising 2L Alexandria Miskho worked remotely from Washington State with the International Law Commission, engaging on topics of Protection of the Atmosphere and Sea-Level Rise.