Interns – 2010 to 2019

Below are the bios of the students who participated in International Human Rights Internships from 2010 to 2019.

View the current list of interns.

On this page: 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010

The 2019 Interns

Leila Alfaro – Centro de Investigacíon y Docencia en Derechos Humanos, Argentina

Leila is in her first year at McGill’s Faculty of Law. Originally from Honduras, she grew up in the South Shore (Montreal). She holds a BA in French Language and Literature with Honour’s in Translation and a Minor in German from McGill University.

In the past few years, she has expressed her focus in advocacy for diversity, inclusivity and accessibility mainly through her work as a research assistant, language tutor, translator and bilingual editor for the literary magazine Post-. Last summer, she was a McGill BLUE Fellow and worked on an interdisciplinary project on censorship, literature, translation theory and machine translation.

Leila is the current Finance Lead for the LNFB chapter at McGill. Outside the faculty, Leila is mostly a busy mom and a volunteer translator and educator assistant.

She is thrilled to partake in the McGill Law Human Rights Internship program and learn about legal perspectives on Disability and Human Rights at the National University of Mar del Plata in Argentina. Read her posts.

Samantha Backman – Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law

Samantha is a second-year BCL/LLB student in the Faculty of Law at McGill University. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Bishop’s University. During her undergraduate degree, Samantha completed an internship in the field of public health policy at EuroHealthNet, a not-for-profit organization based in Brussels, Belgium.

Since beginning law school, Samantha has volunteered at the McGill Legal Information Clinic and has served as a junior editor with the McGill Journal of Law and Health. One of her most enriching experiences as a law student has been working with the Elder Law Clinic, advocating for the rights of the elderly. Samantha’s special interests are health law and social policy, as well as environmental law. She greatly looks forward to learning about disability rights during her summer internship at the Bulgarian Centre for Not-for-Profit Law. Read her posts.

Kathleen Barera – Ateneo – Manila, Philippines

Kathleen is a second-year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Faculty of Law majoring in International Human Rights and Development. She is passionate about and committed to practice international human rights law. She previously completed a Bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies with a minor in Sociology at McGill University. She also worked alongside community organizations on important projects in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Ghana, including launching HIV/AIDS and Ebola awareness education campaigns in Ghana.

At the Faculty, she is involved with many wonderful organizations in hopes to make a positive impact in the Montreal community. Since her first year, she has interned at the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) through Pro Bono Students Canada and volunteered with Animal Justice McGill. At CRARR, she mainly drafts and revises police ethics and civil rights complaints for victims of discrimination. From the summer after her first year, she also began to volunteer as a case worker at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill.

Her biggest motivation to pursue her legal studies at McGill was the human rights prioritization and particularly, this internship opportunity. She looks forward to beginning her internship at the Ateneo Human Rights Centre in the Philippines and learning and contributing significantly! Read her posts.

Katrina Bland – Refugee Law Project – Kampala, Uganda

Katrina is a first-year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She holds an Honours B.A. in international relations and political science from the University of Toronto. During her undergrad, Katrina participated in exchange programs with Sciences Po and Kwansei Gakuin University and worked as health infrastructure project manager in Kenya.

Before coming to McGill, Katrina was the Chair of the G7 Research Group based at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Her research interests include global governance, gender, migration and cross-cultural communication. At the Faculty, Katrina is a member of the International Refugee Assistance Project’s Intake team as well as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Sustainable Development Law.

Katrina is looking forward to her interests in migration, law, and cultural diversity intersecting this summer during her time at the Refugee Law Project in Kampala. Read her posts.

Bianca Braganza – Law Reform and Development Commission – Namibia

Bianca is a first year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She holds an Honour’s Bachelor of Health Sciences from Western University, and a Master’s of Global Health from McMaster University, with an exchange completed at Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Her undergraduate thesis examined the bio-medicalization of trauma in Canadian Residential School Survivors, while her Master’s thesis focused on the rights of unaccompanied children seeking asylum through irregular border crossings into Canada.

Prior to entering law, Bianca worked for 3 years as a Student Border Services Officer with the Canada Border Services Agency while completing her studies. At the Faculty, Bianca is a Junior Editor for the McGill Journal of Law and Health, and a ProBono student for the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations. She also volunteers for the Women of Color Collective, Law Needs Feminism Because, and Learning, Education, Connection (LEX).

Bianca is passionate about children and youth access to legal education and justice; the intersection of health, migration, policy and the law; Indigenous law; domestic and international criminal law; and the anthropology, sociology and philosophy of law. She is excited and deeply grateful to be a part of the program and looks forward to her placement in Namibia, which will bring the examination of the social, economic and political forces that create systemic marginalization and oppression, to life. Read her posts.

Emma Brown – Centre for Law & Democracy – Halifax

Emma is a first year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She graduated with a Bachelor of Legal Studies from Carleton University, after switching majors two years into a Journalism major. Prior to starting her law degree, Emma worked at an Ottawa law firm, where she saw first-hand the way that human rights issues permeate every area of legal practice. During her first year at McGill, her interest in this has expanded as she has volunteered with Innocence McGill, the LEX program, and the McGill Journal of Law and Health.

While Emma’s background is largely in criminal law, she greatly enjoyed her journalism coursework from her undergrad, which focused largely on the way press-related and expression-related rights underpin the foundations of democracy. She is excited for her placement at the CLD because it will allow her to combine these interests with her love of the law. Read her posts.

Aurélie Derigaud-Choquette – Aswat Nissa – Tunisie

Aurélie termine actuellement sa deuxième année du programme BCL/LLB. Avant son entrée à McGill, elle a obtenu son DEC en Sciences de la nature au Collège André-Grasset. Sa passion combinée pour l’animation d’activités pour enfants et le sport l’ont amenée à travailler plusieurs années comme monitrice de ski alpin et monitrice de camp de jour.

Au cours de l’année 2018-2019, elle a été bénévole pour la Clinique d’information juridique de McGill et a été membre du Family Law Project de Pro Bono Students Canada. Ces expériences de bénévolat l’ont sensibilisée aux impacts regrettables de l’inaccessibilité au système de justice canadien. Aurélie est aussi co-présidente de classe des élèves en droit de deuxième année de McGill.

Aurélie a eu la chance de voyager à travers le monde, mais ses valises ne se sont jamais posées en Tunisie auparavant. Elle attend avec impatience cette nouvelle expérience avec l’organisation Aswat Nissa qui lui permettra d’en apprendre plus sur la Tunisie, nommément sur la situation des femmes tunisiennes en politique. Lire ses billets.

Julia Green – The Equality Effect – Kenya

Julia is in her first year at McGill Law. Before moving to Montreal, she completed a Bachelor of Journalism with a focus on International Relations at Carleton University. Following her undergrad, Julia worked as an English teacher in southern Japan for two years with the JET Programme, where she spent her free time learning traditional Japanese dance, practicing karate, and hiking up volcanoes. When she returned to Canada, she got a job working with refugee youth at an immigrant support centre in Ottawa. Her passion for helping newcomers is what inspired her to come to law school, where she hopes her education in Canadian and international law will allow her to become a stronger ally to migrants.

Julia is particularly interested in the connection between climate change, migration and international law. She explored this topic during her time at Carleton and wrote a thesis paper on it for the Professional Certificate in Disaster Management that she completed with the International Federation of the Red Cross while she lived in Japan. She is now a member of the McGill chapter of Avocats sans Frontières and is part of the student advocacy team for the International Refugee Assistance Project. In her spare time Julia studies Spanish, plays ice hockey, explores Montreal and volunteers wherever she can. Read her posts.

Sophie Kassel – Native Law Centre of Canada – Saskatchewan

Sophie is a second year BCL/LLB student at McGill University. She holds a BA (Honours) in political studies with a minor in development studies from Queen’s University.

At the Faculty, Sophie is a senior editor for the Journal of Sustainable Development Law, a research assistant for Professor Gold at the Centre of Intellectual Property Policy and is an executive member of McGill’s Food Law Society.

Sophie’s interest in labour, environment, and Aboriginal law stems from her passion of the intersections between law and food policy. Read her posts.

Reeve Kako – Canadian HIV-Aids Legal Network – Toronto

Reeve is in his first year of BCL/LLB studies at McGill’s Faculty of Law. Before joining the Faculty, he also completed an Honours BA at McGill, majoring in Political Science.

Reeve’s legal interests lie primarily in social welfare advocacy, with a particular interest in legal activism for the LGBTQ+ community. Reeve is currently pursuing this interest at the faculty, where he sits as the VP Finance of McGill Law’s chapter for LGBTQ+ advocacy, OutLaw.

Outside of the Faculty, Reeve has also explored a variety of other legal interests. He is currently an intern at Montreal Immigration law firm, FWCanada. He has also enjoyed exploring areas of labour law through his previous employment at the Law Society of Ontario’s human resources department, as well as his position as Secretary General at the McGill Arts Undergraduate Society.

This summer Reeve is very much looking forward to channeling these interests during his internship at the HIV/AIDS Legal Network in Toronto. Read his posts.

Riley Klassen-Molyneaux – One Earth Future Foundation – Colorado

Riley is a first-year BCL/LLB student at McGill University. Before coming to law school, he completed two Bachelor of Arts, one in French and the other in philosophy. He was lucky enough to study in France and Quebec while completing these degrees.

He has also completed a Master of Arts in French. In his thesis, he linked a work of French Indigenous literature with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and showed that they were essentially saying the same thing. While completing his studies, he volunteered with grassroots organizations in the Yukon, New Orleans, and Costa Rica.

He is interested in everything so far in law school. He supposes that one day, he will have to make a choice! He believes that this internship will help him figure out what he wants to end up doing. He looks forward to working with, and learning from, a passionate group of people from different backgrounds at OEF this summer. Read his posts.

Natalia Koper – Instituto de Democracia y Derechos Humanos – Lima, Peru

Natalia is a first-year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She holds a BA in Applied Linguistics and in International Relations from the University of Warsaw, and a MSc degree in International Relations of the Americas from University College London. Her Master’s thesis focused on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the empowerment of Indigenous peoples in Nicaragua. She was awarded UCL Americas Prize for Best Dissertation on an International Relations Topic.

At the Faculty, Natalia volunteers with the International Refugee Assistance Program and is an associate editor at the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law. Outside of the Faculty, Natalia runs an online publication on identity politics and social justice for the Diálogos Journal and works as a digital editor of the Milan-based Lifegate Media. Prior to her legal education, Natalia interned with the Polish Committee of UNESCO and for an anti-death penalty project at the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights.

Natalia is passionate about the intersection of law and society. Her main areas of interest include identity politics, gender studies, and transitional justice. This summer Natalia is excited to learn more about human rights in Peru and how it fits into the broader context of Latin American politics of human rights. Read her posts.

Jennifer Lachance – Avocats Sans Frontières – Ville de Québec

Jennifer conclut actuellement sa deuxième année du programme BCL/LLB. Avant son entrée à McGill, elle a fait deux voyages humanitaires en Équateur et s’est découvert une passion pour les droits humains.

Préoccupée par les injustices sociales, elle n’a pas hésité à s’impliquer dans de multiples activités qui contribuent à ce que les personnes les plus vulnérables de la société ne soient pas mises à l’écart. Elle est ainsi bénévole à l’Accueil Bonneau, à la Clinique d’Information Juridique de McGill, en plus de se dédier à la cause des réfugiés avec l’International Refugee Assistance Project. Elle est également fière éditrice du journal Contours et agit à titre de coordonnatrice au sein du Human Rights Working Group, où elle s’investit corps et âme afin d’accroître l’accès à l’information pour les personnes en situation d’itinérance.

Jennifer a donc très hâte de faire son stage avec Avocats Sans Frontière dans la Ville de Québec qui lui permettra de voir comment les avocats contribuent à la protection des droits humains dans le monde. Ayant également un fort intérêt pour le droit humanitaire international, elle espère qu’elle aura la chance d’approfondir ses connaissances dans ce domaine. Lire ses billets.

Adelise Lalande – Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights – Cambodia

Adelise Lalande is a first-year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She holds an Honours BA in Communication from the University of Ottawa. Alongside her studies, Adelise worked as a Page in the House of Commons. She also helped launch Iqaluit’s first entrepreneurship hub and was on the Board of Directors of a non-profit meal delivery service for Ottawa’s street-involved community. She spent 16 months on exchange in The Netherlands where she worked for an NGO in food chain sustainability and volunteered with a support group for undocumented women. Prior to starting law school, Adelise worked in policy and communications as a Junior Analyst for the Impact and Innovation Unit in the Privy Council Office of Canada.

At the Faculty of Law, Adelise is a Pro Bono student with PINAY, a Filipino women’s organization in Montreal. She is also an Associate Editor for the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law and active member of Tech Law McGill. Adelise is excited to combine her interests in good governance, social justice and grassroots activism by interning at LICADHO this summer. Read her posts.

Christopher Little – Wassanwipi Cree Nation

Christopher is a first-year BCL/LLB student. Prior to enrolling at McGill, he was a post-doctoral fellow and lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at York University. Christopher’s dissertation, completed at the University of Toronto, draws upon over 2-years of research in Papua New Guinea to study the impact of education and youth policy in the country.

Christopher is excited to be working with the Department of Justice and Correctional Services of the Cree Nation Government. He looks forward to learning more about the communities and drawing upon his research skills to produce Gladue reports. Read his posts.

Tessa Martin – International Center for Ethnic Studies – Colombo, Sri Lanka

Tessa Martin is a second-year BCL/LLB student. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BA in International Relations. During her degree, she spent two semesters studying abroad at the Universidad de Granada in Spain where her courses were taught solely in Spanish. Prior to starting law school, Tessa volunteered at the Kelowna General Hospital and the International Programs and Services at UBC, was part of the Rule Out Racism committee, and participated in Model UN conferences at McGill and Berkeley.

Since starting law school, Tessa has been the Research Co-Chair for the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) at McGill. During her first year at McGill, Tessa also interned at the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) through Pro Bono Students Canada, where she worked on cases involving claims of systemic discrimination. Over the summer of 2018, Tessa worked as a Complaint-Officer at CRARR and volunteered at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill.

Tessa currently volunteers at the Filipino Women’s Organization in Quebec (PINAY) through Pro Bono Students Canada, where she conducts research on human trafficking and assists lawyers with the preparation of ongoing cases.

Tessa’s legal interests encompass international human rights and development, economic and labour rights, immigration, human trafficking and discrimination. She looks forward to beginning her internship at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Read her posts.

Curtis Mesher – Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik’s Legal Clinic – Iqualuit

Curtis is a second-year law student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. Being an Inuit beneficiary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, he has always been drawn to the intersection of Indigenous peoples and Canada’s legal system. With time, he has become motivated by the beneficial potential of human rights law for marginalised people overall. He has primarily worked with Inuit groups such as the Makivik Corporation, and organisations attuned to issues affecting northern Canada.

Au delà de ses intérêts pour les droits des peuples autochtones et les droits de la personne, il s’intéresse beaucoup au domaine du droit criminel. Son désir de travailler un jour dans le domaine du droit pénal l’a mené à un stage avec le cabinet d’avocats Yves Ménard. Ce stage lui a donné des expériences valables en droit criminel canadien.

Given his interests in criminal law and connection to Inuit Nunagat, he is happy to work with Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services this summer. It is the Iqaluit regional office of Nunavut Legal Services. His placement with them enables him to primarily help his fellow Inuit for the first time in his nascent legal career. His placement will allow him to learn from experienced lawyers, elders and all others knowledgeable of the unique experience of the legal system in northern Canadian communities. He hopes to contribute as much as possible and help Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik’s clients. Read his posts.

Jessica Michelin – Human Rights Watch – New York

Jessica is a second-year student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. Prior to starting law school, she obtained a BA Honours in Psychology at McGill University, where she also played for the varsity rugby team.

Jessica is a Senior Editor for the McGill Journal of Law and Health, and volunteers with PBSC Canada providing accessible legal information to various community organizations. Previously, she has volunteered at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. She also works as a research assistant.

Jessica is interested in public law, specifically in the way that judicial reasoning evolves in response to modern-day problems, and in the intersection between access to justice and access to information. She looks forward to working for Human Rights Watch and engaging with important access to justice issues within the international community. Read her posts.

Linda Muhugussa – Institute for Human Rights and Development – The Gambia

Linda is in her second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She is from Montreal and is currently a specialized senior editor for the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law, while also being actively involved with the Legal Information Clinic at McGill as a volunteer.

Prior to her legal studies, she completed a DEC in natural sciences at John Abbott College, with a special focus on environmental sciences. Her academic background helped further her passion and interest for sustainable development, and she hopes to gain a better understanding of the intersection between human rights, development and environmental justice. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, learning new languages and dancing.

She is looking forward to gaining practical experience this summer with the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, in Banjul, The Gambia. Read her posts.

Kelly O’Connor – Inter-American Court of Human Rights – Costa Rica

Kelly is a third-year BCL/LLB student at McGill University, with a minor in Hispanic Studies. Prior to law school, she completed a B.A. in English and French literature at the University of British Columbia. During this time, she focused on feminist and post-colonial theory and worked at the Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, France, and at Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa. After her undergraduate degree, Kelly went to Bogotá, Colombia to study Spanish at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Together, these experiences inspired her passion for human rights law and transitional justice and ultimately led her to McGill.

Since her arrival at the Faculty, Kelly has continued to pursue her interest in human rights law. She interned at Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education and undertook research for Avocats sans frontières Canada. In the summer of 2018, she worked as an intern at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ecuador in refugee resettlement. Kelly is currently an intern at Just Solutions Legal Clinic and a participant in the Clinique internationale de défense des droits humains de l’UQAM. She hopes to deepen her knowledge of regional human rights mechanisms and their jurisprudence during her internship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in summer 2019. Read her posts.

Derek Pace – One Earth Future Foundation – Colorado

Derek is a first-year law student at McGill. Prior to law school, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is from the southern United States and has also spent time living in Morocco, Ukraine, and Taiwan. In Ukraine, he served in the Peace Corps, a US government international development organization.

Derek’s legal interests center primarily on the ways in which religion, language, and sexuality intersect with the law. At McGill, he serves on the executive board of OutLaw, McGill Law’s queer student organization, and is a law student ambassador.

He is very excited to return to the US and spend the summer at One Earth Future Foundation in Colorado. Read his posts.

Lauriane Palardy-Desrosiers – Equitas – Montreal

Lauriane est étudiante en première année à la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill. Elle a complété un baccalauréat en relations internationales et droit international à l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Durant ce diplôme, elle a eu la chance d’étudier la pratique des droits humains à l’Université Aix-Marseille.

Passionnée par l’éducation aux droits humains et la justice sociale, elle a été animatrice-recherchiste pour l’organisme ENSEMBLE pour le respect de la diversité. L’équipe d’ENSEMBLE lutte contre la discrimination entre autres par le biais d’ateliers sur le sexisme, le racisme et l’homophobie.

En participant à la Clinique de défense des droits humains de l’UQÀM et au Projet d’autonomisation des femmes rurales du Bénin de Québec Sans Frontières, elle a également travaillé sur les droits des femmes en Afrique de l’Ouest. Elle s’implique actuellement à la Clinique juridique du Mile End. Lisez ses billets.

Larissa Parker – Justice Department, Akwesasne

Larissa is a first-year at McGill’s Faculty of Law. Before, she completed an MSc in Environmental Governance at Oxford and a BA from the University of Toronto in environmental studies and ethics. Her MSc research focused on the social and cultural impacts of climate change on the Cook Island Māori and explored the potential for adaptive management in the region.

Larissa is currently conducting research through Pro Bono Students Canada on extending legal standing to natural environments. She also works at the Youth Climate Lab, a start-up non-profit that aims to amplify climate action through intergenerational collaboration. Previously, Larissa has worked in politics for the NDP, researching and reporting on the disparities that Indigenous people face when it comes to access to healthcare and education; as well as in the energy sector, focusing on renewable energy transition-related projects and increasing affordable access to energy across the country.

This summer, Larissa will be interning at the Mohawk Justice Department in Akwesasne. She is excited to support the department’s innovative work in promoting self-determination and looks forward to learning more about Mohawk culture and how traditional restorative principles are integrated into law-making and adjudication. Read her posts.

Félix-Antoine Pelletier – Conseil national des droits de l’Homme – Maroc

Félix-Antoine est présentement un étudiant de deuxième année dans le programme BCL/LLB de la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill. Avant d’intégrer la Faculté de droit, Félix-Antoine a complété son DEC au Collège de Maisonneuve (Montréal) dans le profil Justice et Société, en Sciences humaines.

Félix-Antoine travaille présentement en tant qu’étudiant-clinicien à la Clinique Juridique Itinérante, une organisation dont la mission est de promouvoir l’accès à la justice des personnes démunies, itinérantes et/ou marginalisées. Cette implication lui permet d’offrir de l’information juridique aux usagers, de les accompagner au Palais de justice et à des rendez-vous, d’assister certains juristes dans leur travail, ainsi que d’effectuer de la recherche pour la Clinique. L’objectif est de contribuer à la réinsertion sociale des personnes en situation d’itinérance. Lire ses billets.

Caroline Rouleau – Canadian Civil Liberties Association – Toronto

Caroline est en deuxième année de droit à McGill. Elle est rédactrice francophone à la Revue de droit de développement durable de McGill et s’implique dans le nouveau comité facultaire de développement durable. Elle a auparavant complété un baccalauréat en psychologie à l’Université du Québec à Montréal.

L’été dernier, Caroline a travaillé chez VIA Rail Canada au sein du département de gestion de risques, où elle a été initiée aux rouages d’une société d’État et aux exigences légales en matière environnementale.

Caroline est ravie d’avoir l’opportunité d’acquérir de l’expérience au Canadian Civil Liberties Association, une organisation ayant fait ses preuves devant les tribunaux, les médias et les comités législatifs. Lire ses billets.

Kirstie Russell – Center for Health, Human Rights and Development, Uganda

Kirstie is a first year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from McGill and a Master’s degree in Public Health (social and behavioural health sciences) from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Prior to attending law school, Kirstie was a research assistant to the Women’s College Research Institute where she worked on several projects seeking to improve the quality of primary care across Ontario. She also has experience working at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center as a Quality Coordinator, where she developed a project plan seeking to improve the quality of patient consenting practices among physicians.

Kirstie’s interests lie at the intersection of human rights and health law. Currently, Kirstie is a volunteer with Pro Bono Students Canada McGill where she is helping to implement a legal clinic at Maison Plein Coeur, a non-profit organization that supports people living with HIV/AIDS in Montréal. Read her posts.

Brittni Tee – Yukon Human Rights Commission

Brittni is a second-year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English Literature from the University of Toronto.

Prior to her legal studies, Brittni spent two years working as a policy advisor to the federal Minister for the Status of Women. This experience gave her the opportunity to contribute to a number of interesting policy initiatives, such as the Federal Gender-Based Violence Prevention Strategy and the creation of Canada’s first ever gender-responsive Federal Budget. She currently volunteers with Pro Bono Students Canada and works as an assistant editor with the Quid Novi.

Brittni is passionate about intersectional approaches to legal reform and policy-making. She is looking forward to learning more about the practical implementation of anti-discrimination law at the Yukon Human Rights Commission this summer. Read her posts.

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The 2018 Interns

Rose Adams – Native Law Centre of Canada – Saskatoon

Rose Adams is a first-year BCL/LLB student at the McGill Faculty of Law. She hails from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, Quebec, but has lived in Montreal for most of her life.

Rose holds a DEC in Modern Languages from Maisonneuve College – she studied Spanish and German. She is currently studying Inuktitut at the Avataq Cultural Institute in Montreal.

Prior to studying law, Rose also worked at the legal department of Makivik Corporation, the legal representative of the Inuit of Quebec. This experience has motivated her to pursue a career in law. She is passionate about Aboriginal and Indigenous law. Read her posts.

Elisabeth Beauchamp – Mental Disability Rights Initiative of Serbia – Belgrade, Serbia

Elisabeth is a second year BCL/LLB student at the Faculty of law. Before joining the faculty, she completed a double DEC in health sciences and music. She is interested in the intersection between law and social work, as well as criminal law and disability law. She currently works as a research assistant in criminal law and mental health.

Previously, she has worked as a research assistant in cancer research, has tutored French, and has taught music to students in elementary school. Outside the faculty, she enjoys volunteering at the legal information clinic at McGill, singing in a choir and playing music with friends. She looks forward to discovering human rights work in practice when working for the Mental Disability Rights Initiative in Serbia. Lire ses billets.

Alicia Blimkie – Ateneo Human Rights Centre (AHRC) – Manila, The Philippines

Alicia is a second-year BCL/LLB student at McGill University. Prior to her legal studies, she completed a B.A. in International Studies with a minor in World Literature, during which she spent time studying international law in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Her interests include international law, transitional justice, and immigration and refugee law. Building on these passions, she volunteers with the International Refugee Assistance Project and is a Senior Editor with Inter Gentes: the McGill Journal of International Law and Legal Pluralism. This past summer, Alicia was an intern with the Montreal-based Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, where she worked on a project related to political prisoners.

Alicia is excited to immerse herself in Filipino culture and to learn more about how the Philippines engage with human rights while working at the Ateneo Human Rights Centre. Read her posts.

A. Brett Campeau – Justice Department at the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne – Ontario/Quebec/NY border

Allen Brett Campeau is a second-year BCL/LLB student at the McGill Faculty of Law. He holds a B.Sc. Honours degree in Geography from Trent University (Peterborough, Ontario) and an M.Sc. degree in Biology from Laval University (Quebec City, Quebec). His M.Sc. research examined the impacts of climate change and caribou herbivory on migratory caribou habitat in northern Quebec and Labrador.

Brett is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law and an Associate Editor with the McGill Indigenous Law Association’s blog team. He is interested in climate change policy, wildlife and resource management, and Indigenous self-government arrangements. He is excited by the innovative work being done by the Akwesasne Justice Department and is looking forward to learning more about Mohawk culture and legal traditions. Read his posts.

Léa Carresse – One Earth Future Foundation – Colorado

Léa is a first year BCL/LLB student at McGill University. She was raised in France, the United States and Switzerland. She previously completed a BA in German and Russian at Oxford University (Worcester College), and spent a year studying at Yaroslavl State University in Russia. Her main research projects focused on the linguistic aspects of the Red Army Faction’s first generation, which led her to attempt to investigate the impact of solitary confinement on language. In line with her interest in the link between language and incarceration, she is part of the Prison Law Support Network at McGill, which seeks to inform inmates of their rights.

Léa has also worked in the international arbitration departments of international law firms Shearman & Sterling, Jones Day, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Bredin Prat and Berwin Leighton Paisner. She also interned at Vogue and The Independent. Read her posts.

Roxanne Caron – Center for Law and Democracy – Halifax

Roxanne is a second year BCL/LLB student at McGill University originally from Quebec City. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Université Laval and a M.A. in Philosophy with a specialty in Biomedical Ethics from McGill University. Her master’s thesis focused on moral considerations surrounding the ban of doping in elite sports. At the Faculty, she is particularly interested in ethical and legal issues raised within the implementation of novel technologies and protection of personal data.

Roxanne is currently working at the Centre of Genomics and Policy, affiliated to McGill University, where she is doing research on various issues arising from the integration of genomic technologies into clinical care. Previously, she was a research coordinator at the Neuroethics Research Unit of the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, where she worked on the ethics of transition from pediatric to adult care services for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities. She is happy to intern this summer at the Centre for Law and Democracy in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she hopes she will be able to touch on questions related to access to information as a crucial element of democracy. Read her posts.

Adriana Cefis – International Center for Ethnic Studies – Colombo, Sri Lanka

Adriana is currently a first year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in refugee and forced migration studies. Prior to law school, she completed research on the topics of refugee law and human migration for the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and for the Overseas Development Institute. Adriana’s also interested in mental health and advocacy for persons with disabilities. During her undergraduate degree, she co-founded her college’s mental heath initiative and worked for AVATIL, an organization that provides services for people with mild social and cognitive disabilities. She also worked on community development projects in India and in the Dominican Republic. Adriana’s currently conducting research for a legal clinic in an immigrant neighbourhood through Pro Bono Students Canada.

This summer, Adriana will be based at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Sri Lanka. She hopes to leverage her prior experiences to contribute to the organization’s current projects, which focus on post-war recovery. She’s especially interested in contributing to the organization’s online “memory museum” and working on projects that aim to foster the social inclusion of ex-combatants and people with disabilities. Read her posts.

Pouya Dabiran-Zohoory – Yukon Human Rights Commission – Yukon

Pouya is a second-year BCL/LLB student at McGill. He holds a bachelor of commerce from Ryerson, where he majored in law and business. Specifically, he focused his studies on corporate social responsibility, and the roles of corporations, governments, and non-governmental organizations in international sustainable development.

His interest in human rights lies in the intersection between economic development and environmental protection. Currently he is interested in exploring the impact of resource and energy development on indigenous rights, both through law and policy.

Pouya is currently a Senior Online Editor at the McGill Journal of Law and Health, and a Volunteer with the Innocence Project – McGill. He is excited for his placement with the Yukon Human Rights Commission, and looking forward to learning more about one of Canada’s many northern communities.

Eleanor Dennis – Law Reform and Development Commission of Namibia – Windhoek, Namibia

Eleanor is a first year BCL/LLB student at the McGill Faculty of Law originally from Toronto. Eleanor holds a trilingual BA in International Studies from York University’s Glendon Campus in English, French and Spanish.

During her degree, she was able to complete a year of studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madri in Spain where she perfected her fluency in Spanish and volunteered for the social collective Patio Maravillas.

Prior to her legal studies, Eleanor worked as a translator and interpreter for Global Affairs Canada at the Wekimun Project in Chiloé, Chile before traveling extensively through South America. She was also a member of the Human Rights Roster at the Stahili Foundation, a child-rights NGO based in the Hague, Netherlands where she completed various research projects related to the rights of children.When in Toronto, Eleanor also performed as a stand-up comedian.

Eleanor’s interest in human rights stems from the often nebulous intersection of international law, forced migration and refugee protection. In line with her interest in international law, Eleanor is an Associate Editor for Inter Gentes: McGill Journal of International Law and Legal Pluralism. Read her posts.

Emilie Duchesne – Cambodian League for the Promotion & Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO) – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Hi! I’m Emilie. I’m a second-year BCL/LLB student at McGill.

Before law school, I did my Bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy at Carleton in Ottawa. Philosophy and novels are still passions of mine.

My best experience so far in law school has been volunteering at Project Genesis, a legal clinic in Côte-des-Neiges that helps low-income people navigate government bureaucracies and fight their terrible landlords. It’s run by five badass women, and when (if) I’m a lawyer, I’d like to be like them. Read her posts.

Alix Génier – Aswat Nissa, Tunisie

Alix est présentement en deuxième année du BCL/LLB à la Faculté. C’est au courant de son baccalauréat en psychologie et en développement international à McGill qu’elle s’est découvert une passion pour la sécurité alimentaire et la justice sociale. Elle considère sa formation de juriste comme un outil qui lui permettra de faire une différence dans la vie des gens qui sont trop souvent oubliés ou mis de côté.

Avant d’arriver à la Faculté, elle a eu la chance d’être en contact avec de nombreux milieux différents par le biais de camps de vacances, d’expériences de bénévolat diverses et de voyages aux quatre coins de la planète durant lesquels la jeunesse s’est formée. Elle a aussi travaillé au sein d’une grande organisation non-gouvernementale et elle espère que son stage lui offrira une version complémentaire de ce que peut être le contact direct du travail en droit humain.

Entre des lectures de doctrine et de jurisprudence, elle reste impliquée dans le milieu communautaire agroalimentaire par le biais de son implication au sein du McGill Food Law Society, de son placement Pro Bono au sein d’une cafétéria communautaire de Côte-des-Neiges et dans son travail d’animatrice d’ateliers culinaires pour les jeunes de milieux plus défavorisés. Lisez ses billets.

Sara Gold – Inter American Court of Human Rights – San José, Costa Rica

Sara Gold is a second-year BCL/LLB student at McGill University. Prior to attending law school, Sara completed an Honours B.A. in International Development and Women’s Studies from McGill University. She has lived and travelled across several countries in Latin America and has held positions with organizations such as Employment and Social Development Canada, the Open Source Pharma Foundation and the Embassy of Canada to Argentina and Paraguay.

At the Faculty, Sara is a Senior Editor for both the McGill Journal of Law and Health and Contours – Voices of Women in Law. Sara is also involved with Healthy Legal Minds and volunteers with the Legal Information Clinic at McGill.

Outside of the Faculty, Sara works for the Canadian government on a team developing strategies to recruit youth and employment equity groups to the federal public service and on a Canada-wide public policy project on feminist government.

Sara is passionate about the intersection between law, human rights, gender issues, health, inclusivity and international relations. She looks forward to exploring these interests further through her internship with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica in the summer of 2018. Read her posts.

Catherine Labasi-Sammartino – Center for Health, Human Rights and Development – Kampala, Uganda

Catherine is a first year BCL/LLB student at McGill’s Law Faculty.

She previously completed a Bachelor of Science at McGill in Psychology with a minor in the Social Studies of Medicine.

Her past studies nurtured her interest in the intersection of law, health, and policy.

She hopes to learn more about this specific field at the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development in Uganda, where she will be completing her internship this summer. Read her posts.

Guillaume Lebrun-Petel – Rencontre africaine pour la défense des droits de l’Homme (RADDHO) – Dakar, Sénégal

Guillaume conclut actuellement sa deuxième année du programme BCL/LLB. Avant son entrée à McGill, il obtient son DEC au Collège André-Grasset, où il s’est notamment impliqué au sein de l’Association étudiante et du programme Sport-études.

Pour l’année 2017-2018, il joint le comité de rédaction de la Revue de droit et santé de McGill en tant que rédacteur junior. Guillaume est présentement chef d’équipe pour l’initiative Law – Éducation – Connexion de la Faculté, un programme de sensibilisation et d’éveil au Droit qui œuvre dans les écoles secondaires et centres jeunesse de quartiers défavorisés du Grand Montréal.

Cycliste irrésolu, mais courageux, il souhaite mettre au profit de la Rencontre africaine pour la défense des droits de l’homme (RADDHO) ce que ses années d’études et de sport lui ont appris: la valeur de l’effort et un sincère désir de réussir. Lire ses billets.

Camille Lustière – Avocats sans frontières Canada – Québec City

Franco-Canadian, Camille Lustière holds a BA in Social Sciences and a Master’s in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po Paris. She has been interested in the Human Rights field since the beginning of her studies and intends to further her legal knowledge on the topic at McGill Faculty of Law.

She has worked with different actors of the field, notably as Associations and NGOs liaison for a BC MLA for her master’s internship and also for a French NGO raising awareness on Female Genital Mutilations, Excision Parlons-En!.

At the Faculty she is involved with the Human Rights Working Group and the LEX Outreach Program. She wishes to specialize in International Criminal Law, more specifically in Sexual and Gender-based violence. Lire ses billets.

Kerry Ann Marcotte – Équitas – Montréal

Kerry Ann is in her first year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. Originally from St-Basile de Portneuf, Québec, she previously completed a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Sociology and a Minor in Religion. She spearheaded Champlain St-Lawrence CEGEP ’s first composting and recycling program and received the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for community service. During her undergraduate degree, her interest for social justice grew from volunteering at l’Institut Universitaire en santé mentale de Québec and the Drummondville federal prison. She studied abroad at Leeds Beckett University during her third year of university.

She has worked as a Museum tour guide at la Citadelle de Québec and has volunteered at Bishop University’s Foreman Art Gallery. A member of Amnesty International Canada and Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, she is particularly interested in social stratification and identity. She is currently a volunteer at Montreal’s Immigrant Workers Center and a member of L.E.A.P. Montreal. Read her posts.

Nicole Maylor – One Earth Future Foundation – Colorado

Nicole is a first year student in the BCL/LLB program at the McGill Faculty of Law. Originally from Mississauga, Ontario, Nicole completed an Honours in International Development and Globalization at the University of Ottawa. Nicole has worked with indigenous groups in Taiwan to understand indigenous self-determination from a global perspective. As well, she has interned as a research assistant in the fight against gender-based violence in South Africa.

Nicole is passionate about international law and access to information. She is currently the VP 1L for Avocats Sans Frontières, and an outreach associate for McGill Law’s Inter Gentes Journal of International Law and Legal Pluralism.

More recently Nicole participated in the Women in House program, where her interests in democracy, governance and peace continued to bud. Nicole is excited to spend the summer at the One Earth Future Foundation in Colorado. Read her posts.

Renaude Morin – Commission nationale des droits de l’Homme – Rabat, Maroc

Renaude est en deuxième année de droit du programme BCL/LLB à l’Université McGill. Avant d’entamer ses études à McGill, elle a complété un DEC en sciences humaines dans le profil de développement international au Collège Dawson.

Ayant un intérêt particulier pour la sécurité alimentaire et la création de systèmes alimentaires résilients et durables, elle s’implique dans divers projets d’agriculture urbaine et au sein du la Société de droit alimentaire de McGill. Elle est aussi bénévole Pro-Bono à MultiCaf, un organisme de lutte contre la pauvreté œuvrant à l’atteinte de la sécurité alimentaire des personnes à faible revenu. En dehors de la faculté, ses intérêts incluent la transformation sociale par les arts, la consommation responsable, le plein-air et la danse.

Renaude est très enthousiaste de travailler au sein du Conseil national des droits de l’Homme du Maroc et espère en apprendre davantage sur l’interrelation entre les droits humains, la culture et les mécanismes de coopération internationale. Lisez ses billets.

Gwendolyn Muir – Instituto de Democracia y Derechos Humanos (IDEHPUCP) – Lima, Peru

Gwendolyn is a second year BCL/LLB student at McGill. She has been involved in grassroots organizing and solidarity work for nearly a decade.

She currently participates in community radio, migrant justice and prison abolition initiatives.

Gwendolyn holds a Master of Science in Geography from Concordia University.

Francesca Nardi – Centro de Investigacion y Docencia en Derechos Humanos – Mar de Plata, Argentina

Originally from Halifax, Francesca is a first-year BCL/LLB student in the Faculty of Law. Before coming to McGill, she completed an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies at York University, and a Diploma in International Relations at Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid.

She worked previously at the Center for Exchange and Solidarity in El Salvador, where she worked with women entrepreneurs in communities affected by gang violence, translated grant applications and reports, and liaised with international funding organizations. Francesca has also volunteered as a fundraiser and public speaker with a number of non-for-profit health organizations in Canada. A professional flamenco dancer and avid salsa dancer, she has travelled and trained extensively in Spanish-speaking countries in Europe, the Caribbean and Central America, and welcomes the opportunity to experience life in South America.

Francesca hopes to bring her interest in both human rights and health advocacy to her position in Argentina, and to return to McGill with a deeper understanding of disability rights. She is very grateful for this internship and excited to be participating in the IHRIP this summer. Read her posts.

Daniel Powell-Monture – One Earth Future Foundation – Colorado

Daniel Powell-Monture is a first-year BCL/LLB student in the Faculty of Law. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in Globalization Studies from McMaster University.

Prior to entering law school, Daniel worked for two startups in two unique domains: financial and legal technology. He also served as a graduate tutorial leader for an undergraduate course on the history of the Canadian Labour Movement.

Besides a healthy curriculum of first-year law classes, Daniel serves as an associate editor for the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law and a member of the McGill Faculty of Law Truth and Reconciliation Implementation Committee. He is also a research assistant for the “Law and Regulation of the Senses” project under the direction of Concordia University Professor David Howes. Read his posts.

Tiran Rahimian Bajgiran – Human Rights Watch – New York City

Tiran is a third year BCL/LLB student at the McGill Faculty of Law. Parallel to his studies, he clerks for the Chief Justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal, serves on the editorial board of the McGill Law Journal, and works as a research assistant.

Prior to that, he also served on the editorial board of the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law, was an executive at Avocats sans frontières McGill, and volunteered at a range of legal clinics and research centres including the Clinique juridique itinérante, the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations, Action Réfugiés Montréal, and the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime. Tiran’s interests include the rights of migrants and foreigners, victim-centred mechanisms of transitional justice, and the interface between international criminal justice and human rights. Read his posts.

Cassandra Richards – Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services – Iqualuit, Nunavut

Je suis étudiante de deuxième année en droit à l’université McGill. Ma passion pour les droits humains m’a conduite vers l’université d’Ottawa où j’ai obtenu un baccalauréat spécialisé en études des conflits et droits humains.

Two fundamental objectives continue to guide my human rights education and work: promoting access to justice and getting local. Accordingly, I dedicate a lot of my time working in legal clinics, working with people, helping them solve legal problems they face, and ensuring they receive clear and accessible information relevant to their specific needs and situation. Currently, I volunteer at McGill’s Legal Information Clinic. I have also been directly active in establishing the first legal clinic in the Centre-Sud of Montreal (CRIC). I equally work as a research assistant for Professor Adelle Blackett at the Labour Law and Development Research Laboratory. Last year I completed an internship at the Canadian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Je suis très enthousiaste d’effectuer un stage à la clinique Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik, une division de l’aide juridique du Nunavut. Ayant toujours voulu travailler dans le domaine de l’aide juridique et travailler dans le Nord, j’ai très hâte d’apprendre des avocats dans le bureau et des clients qui fréquenteront le bureau. Read her posts.

Rachelle Rose – Yukon Human Rights Commission – Yukon

Rachelle Rose is currently studying at McGill’s Faculty of Law, as an undergraduate student and at McGill’s School of Social Work as a graduate student. She is actively involved in the McGill Law community. She volunteered at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. Additionally, Rachelle is a Student Ambassador and is heavily committed to the following groups; Law Students’ Association, Women of Colour Collective, Christian Law Students’ Association and the Black Law Students’ Association of McGill.

Rachelle is also committed to social justice related work in Montreal’s Black community. Before returning to school, she designed and created an alternative academic program for youth who did not complete high school, to obtain their high school leaving certificate. She is presently interested in family and human rights law.

Caroline Schurman-Grenier – Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) – The Gambia

Caroline is in her first year of Law at McGill. She holds an undergraduate degree in History and International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her academic background helped her build a strong theoretical understanding of human rights in history.

She currently holds the position of associate editor at Inter Gentes, the McGill journal focusing on international law and legal pluralism. She worked as a food and travel writer, a theatre critic and a French teacher during her undergraduate degree. Her hobbies include cooking, dancing and travelling as much as her bank account will allow.

She is looking forward to learn more about the realities of protecting human rights on a more international scale in Banjul. Read her posts.

Maia Stevenson – Canadian Civil Liberties Association – Toronto

Maia is a second-year BCL/LLB student who grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She looks forward to interning with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association over the summer of 2018.

Prior to starting at McGill, Maia worked as a language assistant at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit and held various positions with Ontario Parks on Lake Superior.

In 2015, Maia graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies (B.A.Sc.). During her studies, Maia developed an interest in modern surveillance and privacy rights, and in sustainable farming models.

At McGill, Maia is a proud member of the Food Law Society, volunteer for Pro Bono Students Canada, group assistant and research assistant.

Maia is looking forward to gaining experience in civil and human rights advocacy and research under the wing of such an important and active institution as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. Read her posts.

Heather Whiteside – Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network – Toronto, Canada

Heather is in her second year of BCL/LLB studies at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo in history and political science.

Her interests lie at the intersection of law and health, particularly relating to sexual and reproductive rights, medical liability, and disability law. She has explored these areas as a research intern at the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy and through her work as the Executive English Editor of the McGill Journal of Law and Health.

Heather is currently an Undergraduate Fellow with McGill’s Research Group on Health and Law, where she’s been researching food litigation and vaccine injury compensation programs. She also serves as a Student Advocate and volunteer at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill.

She’s excited to be heading back to Toronto, and is eager to learn more about health, gender, and the law from the impressive team at the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. Read her posts.

Yulia Yugay – The Equality Effect – Malawi

Yulia is a second year BCL/LLB student at the Faculty of Law. Coming from a diverse background herself, Yulia very quickly fell in love with the city of Montreal that she now calls home.

Prior to beginning her studies at McGill, she completed a double degree in Pure and Applied Sciences and Commerce at Vanier College, where her interest for human rights and social justice began to grow. Yulia’s commitment to access to justice led her to play an active role within organizations such as the Mobile Legal Clinic and Lawyers without Borders this year. Previously, she had been volunteering at the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations and the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. Among other things, Yulia is also passionate about environmental and Indigenous issues.

Yulia is honoured and excited to be spending her summer working for The Equality Effect. Read her posts.

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The 2017 Interns

Joel Badali – Mental Disability Rights Initiative of Serbia – Belgrade

I am currently in my second year at the faculty of law here at McGill. My academic background is in community and health psychology, both which have informed my previous work on Aboriginal-settler relations and sexual health interventions in East Asia.

Having pursued interests related to human rights in Canada and abroad, I developed an interest in human rights in the context of geo-political conflict. Through my work with refugees at a counselling centre in Kitchener, Ontario, I gained a nuanced and critical understanding of the impact of conflict on mental health and resettlement. I am looking forward to contributing my knowledge to the mental health work done by Disability Rights Initiative in Belgrade, Serbia, this summer. Read his posts.

Julia Bellehumeur – The Equality Effect – Meru, Kenya

Julia holds a BSc from the University of Toronto in environmental studies and psychology, and is currently a bilingual student in her second year of law school at McGill University.

As an undergraduate she was a varsity volleyball athlete for four years and interned for the Canadian Environmental Law Association. During the summers she found herself in an Amazon rainforest in Ecuador for a summer abroad program, planting trees in northern BC or coaching youth volleyball in Ontario.

More recently Julia has immersed herself into her community. She is the President of the McGill branch of Avocats Sans Frontières, a junior advocate assisting students at the university, and the elected representative of her 2L class. She is also an executive team member of #LawNeedsFeminismBecause and volunteered for the Legal information Clinic at McGill. Her driving force is her passionate belief in women’s and girls’ rights and equal access to justice. Read her posts.

Monika Berenyi – One Earth Future Foundation – Colorado

Monika is entering her third year of study at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She holds an MA in European History from the University of Toronto and an MFA in Documentary from Ryerson University. Her research projects have explored the value of embedded narratives in archives and documentary media as mechanisms for conflict transformation, truth-telling and reconciliation. She has developed oral history collections in Canada, Europe, and the USA, addressing issues such as refugee migration, civil rights, and public defence; her recent documentary “American Document (1935-1944)” enabled revisionist narratives about the Great Depression in the context of the US Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information archive.

Monika has worked for the European Commission, Open Society Archives, and Royal Ontario Museum, and has participated as a community artist-in-resident in the Netherlands, Turkey, and Italy. She is involved with McGill’s Innocence Project and the McGill Law Journal, and is looking forward to applying her skills and interests in global governance, peace and security in the context of One Earth Future Foundation’s broad initiatives. Read her posts.

Audrey Boily – RADDHO – Dakar, Sénégal

Audrey est étudiante de deuxième année en droit à l’université McGill. Avant d’entamer ses études à McGill, elle a complété un DEC en sciences humaines au Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. Elle s’intéresse particulièrement à la responsabilité civile ainsi que certains enjeux de droit constitutionnel notamment le droit à l’égalité. Elle travaille actuellement comme assistante de recherche pour le centre de génomique et politique de McGill. Auparavant, elle a œuvré en tant qu’assistante de recherche à la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill dans le domaine du droit à l’égalité à l’international.

Depuis l’an dernier, elle est bénévole pro-bono pour le regroupement activiste pour l’inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), un organisme de défense des personnes handicapées. Elle s’implique aussi en débat oratoire, en tant que membre de l’exécutif de la ligue canadienne de débat francophone et en participant régulièrement à des compétitions de débats.

Elle est très enthousiaste d’effectuer un stage chez Rencontre africaine pour les droits de l’Homme (RADDHO), un organisme basé au Sénégal défendant les droits de la personne sur le continent africain. Lisez ses billets.

Sarah Cha – Avocats sans frontières Canada – Quebec City

Sarah is in her second year of studies at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She previously completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Ethics, Society, and Law at the University of Toronto. Sarah’s interest in human rights and social justice grew out of her involvement with organizations like Amnesty International and Best Buddies. Her work with sponsored refugee students through the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and research on refugee policy reforms at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) made her particularly passionate about migrant and refugee rights.

Sarah is currently Co-Director of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) at McGill, advocates for Filipina migrant workers’ rights at PINAY Quebec as a Pro Bono Students of Canada volunteer, and serves as a Student Advocate at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. Sarah is thrilled to continue seeing how human rights and international law intersect through her placement at Avocats sans frontières Canada this summer. Read her posts.

Mark Dance – Canadian Civil Liberties Association / Association canadienne des libertés civiles – Toronto

Mark is a second year law student at McGill. He’s worked on Parliament Hill and at Samara Canada. He’s been a Labourer-Teacher for the national literacy organization Frontier College and a writer for the Halifax Chronicle Herald. He’s been a fellow at MaRS Discovery District in Toronto and Lapham’s Quarterly in New York.

He studied cognitive science at Edinburgh and humanities at the University of King’s College, Halifax. Read his posts.

Melisa Demir – Instituto de Democracia y Derechos Humanos (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú) – Lima, Peru

Melisa Demir is a first year BCL/LLB student at McGill University. Before joining the Faculty, she completed an Honours Commerce degree at Marianopolis College, where she developed a particular interest in the relationship between business and human rights.

In 2016, she completed a four-month long internship at Montreal’s Mile End Mission, where she learned how to use effective business practices to aid non-profit organizations in administering their services to communities in need. She has additionally participated in international cooperation programs in Central American nations, during which she studied the human rights implications of business development in the area, particularly focusing on the impact that this economic development has had on labor rights. Currently, Melisa is a co-coordinator for the Business and Human Rights portfolio of McGill’s Human Rights Working Group.

Melisa has also developed a strong passion for international human rights advocacy since high school, where she first began travelling to different communities around the world to learn about and experience their culture firsthand. Since 2012, she has visited and studied the living conditions of the native communities in Alaska and in Northern Canada, has spent time living with a local family in Nicaragua, and has volunteered in Honduras to aid and promote public health initiatives in the country’s rural communities. As a result of these experiences, she has gained insights into some of the world’s most pressing human rights issues, and she is excited to continue to develop more hands-on experience in human rights advocacy through her work at the Instituto de Democracia y Derechos Humanos this summer. Read her posts.

Alexa Franczak – Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group – India

Alexa is a second-year student in the BCL/LLB program at McGill. Prior to starting at McGill, she completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Anthropology at the University of Toronto.

Alexa worked as a curatorial assistant at the Archives of Ontario, and as a collections assistant at the University of Toronto Art Centre. She also completed anthropological fieldwork in Indonesia, researching labour relations and economic migration. That experienced sparked an interest in issues relating to land use in South East Asia.

Alexa enjoys working in the public service, having worked this past summer at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. However, she is looking forward to spending the summer with the Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, taking an interdisciplinary approach to human rights issues.

Currently, Alexa is a Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Quid Novi, a contributor to LegalEase, a member of the LSA Art Committee, and a volunteer at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. Read her posts.

Taylor Gillespie – Centro de Investigacion y Docencia en Derechos Humanos – Mar de Plata, Argentina

Taylor Gillespie is a first-year student in the McGill Faculty of Law. He holds an honours B.A. in International Relations from Mount Allison University. During his undergraduate studies, Taylor played university football and had the opportunity to study in Georgia while working for the Georgia Public Health Association. In this role, Taylor worked closely with low-income families to assess governmental policies aimed at alleviating poverty.

Taylor is particularly interested in sports law, contract law, and disability rights. Prior to attending McGill, he worked as a personal trainer and as a bartender.

When he is not busy with school, Taylor spends his time as a volunteer tutor for students with disabilities and enjoys participating in various intramural sports at McGill. Read his posts.

Anastasia Greenberg – One Earth Future Foundation – Colorado

Anastasia Greenberg is a first-year law student in the BCL/LLB program at McGill. Prior to entering the law program, Anastasia completed a doctoral degree in Neuroscience from 2011 to 2016 at the University of Alberta. Her dissertation examined how rhythmic electrical stimulation of the brain can affect memory consolidation during sleep; a technique that shows promise for use in clinical populations suffering from memory disorders. Anastasia also holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from York University. Currently Anastasia is an associate editor of the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law.

Anastasia is fascinated by the interactions between science, policy and the law, and believes that questions of human rights issues ultimately require sound evidence-based solutions. She hopes to bridge her passions for science, human rights and social justice in her future career. Anastasia is looking forward to using her critical thinking and research skills at her internship during the summer of 2017 with One Earth Future Foundation in Colorado. Read her posts.

Rebecca Jones – Yukon Human Rights Commission – Yukon

Rebecca is a second-year law student who was born and raised in Victoria BC. After pursuing a career as a professional dancer in New York City, she moved to Montreal to complete a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Psychology and International Development Studies at McGill. During her undergraduate studies, she focused on global health and sustainable livelihoods, interning at an NGO in southern India.

Following graduation, Rebecca worked as a diversity educator for a Montreal non-profit as well as a sexual health educator for Aids Community Care Montreal. These experiences fostered Rebecca’s interest in human rights and ultimately led her to McGill’s Faculty of Law. As a law student, Rebecca volunteers at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and facilitates workshops with high school students for the LEX high school outreach program. She also works as a research assistant for Professor Colleen Sheppard, conducting research on systemic discrimination.

Rebecca is excited to head to the Yukon for the summer and learn more about the practical aspects of human rights work at the Yukon Human Rights Commission. Read her posts.

Jessye Kilburn – One Earth Future Foundation – Colorado

Jessye is in her second year at the Faculty of Law. Previously, she studied Anthropology and International Development at McGill, completing her honours thesis on Bedford v Canada and the creation of Canada’s new sex industry laws. She is passionate about both domestic and foreign human rights issues, and has previously worked at a legal aid clinic in Kenya as well as volunteered at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. Currently, she is loving her volunteer work with the Association pour la Défense des Droits du Personnel Domestique, Action Réfugiés Montréal, and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers.

Jessye is fascinated by the ways in which institutions affect individual lives, and she looks forward to learning and contributing as part of One Earth Future’s mission to bring “peace through governance.” Read her posts.

Nathalie Laflamme – Equitas – Montreal

Nathalie Laflamme is a first-year BCL/LLB student who grew up in Montreal. She will be completing an internship with Equitas over the summer, and looks forward to learning about human rights issues from activists from approximately 50 countries during their annual International Human Rights Training Program.

In 2016, Nathalie completed a Bachelor’s degree in journalism at Concordia University in the co-op program. During her studies, she was the Editor-in-chief of one of the student papers on campus, The Concordian. Her work has been published by the Montreal Gazette and The Canadian Press. She has written about human rights abuses and issues, among many other topics.

Nathalie is currently completing a Pro Bono Students Canada – McGill internship with the Association for the Rights of Household Workers and is an editor at the McGill Journal of Law and Health. Read her posts.

Katerina Lagassé – Ateneo HR Centre – Manila, The Philippines

Katerina Lagassé is in her second-year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. She is originally from Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia and she holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science with a Specialization in Communication Studies and Art History from Concordia University. During her undergraduate degree, she worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as well as at the FoFA Gallery at Concordia University.

Prior to starting her studies at McGill, she was the Curatorial Assistant at the Leonard & Bina Art Gallery. She has also worked on exhibitions in New York, Reykjavik, and Montreal. Last summer, she volunteered at the Haida Gwaii Museum at Ḵay Llnagaay. She is passionate about cultural heritage.

She is currently a volunteer with Pro Bono Students Canada at the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, is an active member of the Indigenous Law Association, and the Law Student Associations Art’s Committee. Read her posts.

Caroline Lavoie – National Human Rights Council of Morocco – Rabat, Morocco

Originally from Nova Scotia, Caroline Lavoie is currently completing her second year of McGill’s BCL/LLB program. An avid traveller, she has studied abroad in Italy and Germany, and has travelled within North America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Passionate about intersectional social justice, over the years Caroline has worked or volunteered with organizations concerned with queer, interfaith, feminist, and immigration-related issues. She currently volunteers with Action Réfugiés Montréal and works part-time at the McGill Office for Students with Disabilities.

Outside the faculty, Caroline can be found swing dancing or steadily completing the beadwork on her moccasins. She looks forward to learning more about Moroccan perspectives on human rights as an intern at the CNDH. Read her posts.

Elias D. León – The Inter-American Court of Human Rights – San José, Costa Rica

Elias D. León is a BCL/LLB Candidate at the Faculty of Law of McGill University. He currently serves as a Senior Editor in the McGill Journal of Dispute Resolution, as well as a student advocate for the International Refugee Assistance Project. Prior to attending law school, Elias was the Director for the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Division of the United Nations Association in Canada (UNAC). In this capacity, Elias oversaw the climate change files, consultations, and negotiations at the subnational level in Canada while representing UNAC and Canada in international summits such as the UN Agenda 2030 Summit and COP21 Paris Climate 2015.

He previously took the role of Advisor to the Permanent Delegation of Saint Lucia to UNESCO where he contributed to policy making in the Social Science and Culture commissions of the 37th General Conference of UNESCO and the 19th World Heritage Convention. Subsequently, he played a leading role in drafting a proposed legal strategy to protect human rights and natural resources in Cameroon while working with the Human Rights, Economic Development and Globalization Clinic at Sciences Po Law School. Elias also volunteered in the Hill Office of the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau at Parliament of Canada.

Elias graduated Magna Cum Laude with an Honours Degree in International Studies and Modern Languages from the University of Ottawa and holds a Certificate in Social Sciences and Humanities with a specialization in International Law from Sciences Po Paris.

Madeleine Macdonald – Justice Department at the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne – Ontario/Quebec/NY border

Madeleine Macdonald is a second-year student at the Faculty of Law. She holds an Honours B.A. in Philosophy and Linguistics from the University of Toronto and an M.P.A. from Queen’s University.

Prior to studying law, Madeleine worked in law-reform with CIDA and the National Assembly of Vietnam in Hanoi. She subsequently managed institutional partnerships and policy at the Royal Society of Canada.

Since coming to McGill, she has focused on questions of access to physical spaces, education, and justice. Read her posts.

Lucas Mathieu – Burkina Faso

Lucas Matthieu est en première année du programme BCL/LLB à l’Université McGill. Il est diplômé du Collège Universitaire de Sciences Po Paris, où il s’est intéressé à la théorie et la sociologie politique. Il a également passé un an en échange à l’Université de Chicago.

Via McGill, il est bénévole pour Avocat Sans Frontière et pour le Centre Communautaire LGBTQ+ de Montréal. Il nourrit enfin une passion pour la Poésie Slam, qui l’a amené à s’engager pour le développement de cette discipline à Reims, Chicago, et Montréal. Read his posts.

David Matyas – Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services – Nunavut

David Matyas is a second year law student at McGill University. He holds a B.A.Sc. from McMaster University and an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Oxford.

Before attending law school, David worked as a technical advisor in disaster resilience for Save the Children International based in Niamey, Niger and Dakar Senegal.

Prior to this, David worked in London for the Foresight division of the UK Government Office for Science and at King’s College London.

David’s interest in the polar regions began as an undergraduate while interning with Students on Ice, an organization that takes youth on educational expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica. He is excited to learn about access to, and administration of, justice in Nunavut, and to learn from advocates at Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services. Read his posts.

Ailsa Miller – Centre for Law and Democracy – Halifax

Originally from the bustling metropolis of Kamloops, B.C., Ailsa is now in her second year of law at McGill University. Prior to entering law school, she completed an honours bachelor of international economics and development at the University of Ottawa. Her previous studies, love of working with people, and experiences abroad in Peru and India precipitated Ailsa’s interest in human rights and social Justice.

Currently, Ailsa is involved with the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law and the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. She was also co-organizer of this year’s Christie Community Bike Ride, an annual fundraiser for a local access to justice organization. She feels excited and privileged to be McGill’s first intern at the Centre for Law and Democracy in Halifax this summer. In particular, she is eager to learn more about access to information, the Centre’s primary area of focus, as a cornerstone of democracy and access to justice

Having never been east of Québec, Ailsa also looks forward to exploring what some argue is the “best coast”. She will deliver her totally objective verdict in September 2017. Read her posts.

Jillian Ohayon – Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) – Kampala, Uganda

Jillian Ohayon is a second year law student at McGill University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Ethics & Society and Religious Studies from the University of Ottawa. While studying in Ottawa, she worked as a Page at the House of Commons and as a Student Mentor for the Faculty of Arts.

Jillian is currently the 2L Class President, a volunteer at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill, and a member of the events committee for Avocats sans frontières. She is looking forward to travelling to Uganda to work for the Centre for Health, Human Rights, and Development this summer. Read her posts.

Emily Painter – Human Rights Watch – New York, NY

Emily is a second-year law student at McGill University. She holds a B.A.H in Global Development Studies from Queen’s University.

At the Faculty, Emily is a member of the executive committee of Avocats Sans Frontières McGill, as well as a research assistant for Professor and Canada Research Chair in Transnational Labour Law and Development Adelle Blackett. In the summer of 2016, Emily also managed the McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy and volunteered with the Legal Information Clinic at McGill.

Outside of the faculty, Emily is one of 35 students from Montreal-based law schools to volunteer with la Clinique juridique itinérante — Mobile Legal Clinic. MLC student volunteers visit homeless shelters monthly to provide legal information, court accompaniment, strategies for the regularization of debts and referrals to the homeless, the impoverished and the marginalized members of our society, who often struggle to assert their rights and navigate our complex justice system.

Emily is passionate about human rights, international labour law and development, and looks forward to engaging with complex issues of access to justice at Human Rights Watch’s New York offices. Admittedly, Emily applied to McGill with the intention of obtaining an internship at Human Rights Watch through the HRIP, and she is both thrilled and grateful for this great opportunity. Read her posts.

Sara Pierre – Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) – The Gambia

Sara Pierre is a second-year BCL/LLB student at McGill University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in World Religions and Sociology. Her studies and life experiences working with youth in Canada, Haiti, Brazil and Cambodia have fueled her passion for advocating for equality in all of its forms.

She is currently working pro bono as a law intern at the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations. At the Faculty of Law, she is actively involved with the Women of Colour Collective and facilitates workshops for high school students in Montreal with Law-Éducation-Connexion.

Sara hopes to enrich her legal studies by gaining as much out-of-classroom experience as she can. As a firm believer in access to justice, she is excited to partner with the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, in Banjul, The Gambia. Read her posts.

Kevin Pinkoski – Law Reform and Dev Commission in Namibia – Windoek, Namibia

Kevin Pinkoski is a first year BCL/LLB student at McGill University originally from Sherwood Park, Alberta. His interests in human rights focus on how state formation and the law support diversity, while still ensuring a standard of individual flourishment. He fostered this interest while volunteering at the John Humphrey Centre for Human Rights, Carlos Rosario School, and Rapid Fire Theatre.

He holds a Master’s of Philosophy in International Relations from Oxford University where he researched the misuse of history and its influence on modern state building projects. Prior to this, he completed a Bachelor’s in History and Politics focusing on the philosophy and history of utopianism. His previous professional experiences include work for Transport Canada at the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C., president of St Antony’s College student body, and at Fort Edmonton Park.

Kevin currently works as a senior editor for Inter Gentes: McGill Journal of Law and Legal Pluralism. He is co-1L President and represents his class to the McGill Law Student’s Association. He performs and teaches improv comedy at Montreal Improv Theatre and races bikes with the McGill Cycling Team. Read his posts.

Andrew Rintoul – LICADHO – Cambodia

Andrew is a first year student at McGill’s Faculty of Law who hails from Toronto. He holds a BA Honours degree in International Relations from Mount Allison University, with Minors in French, Environmental Studies, and Political Science. In his third year, he studied abroad at the Université de Strasbourg in France.

Andrew is passionate about global health and international development. Near the end of his BA, Andrew received an Independent Student Research Grant from Mount Allison, where he undertook an extensive research project examining the inadequacies of global health governance as revealed through the Ebola epidemic of 2014. At the Faculty of Law, he is a member of the Education and Outreach Committee of Innocence McGill, the Research and Advocacy Committee of CARL (Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers) McGill, and participates in the LEX educational outreach program. Andrew is very excited to set foot into the human rights arena this summer by working with LICADHO in Cambodia. Read his posts.

Sarah-Grace Ross – Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network – Toronto

Sarah-Grace is a first-year law student with a communications background in Indigenous and northern affairs. Throughout her five years at the federal government, she has worked in northern food security, the duty to consult, and treaty negotiations. The highlight of these years was the opportunity to live and work in Iqaluit as well as participating as a fellow in the Arctic Summer College.

Sarah-Grace’s co-operative undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo in English Literature allowed her to try out many quirky jobs, including a summer at a fishing lodge, working at a literary magazine, and being an historical interpreter at Vimy Ridge, France. As she explores different areas of law in her first year, Sarah-Grace’s current legal interests lie in Aboriginal law and access to justice. She currently volunteers in a family law project through Pro Bono Students Canada. Read her posts.

The 2016 Interns

Alexander Agnello – Ateneo Human Rights Centre (AHRC) – Manila, the Philippines

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund

I am a first year law student at McGill University. Before coming to McGill, I was working as a journalist based in Vancouver. My interest in human rights grew out of a successful SSHRC proposal, which focused on the worry of stigmatizing vulnerable populations through prevailing and hypothesized systems of redistribution. My aim for the internship is to maintain a broad vision for future work in the field, since at least some human rights issues are interlinked, and require more than just the allocation of resources or the exercise of legal measures for their resolution. Read his posts.

Amanda Arella – Oceans Beyond Piracy – One Earth Future Foundation – Broomfield, USA

Recipient of the One Earth Future Foundation Bursary Award

Amanda Arella is a first year law student at McGill University. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Women’s Studies and Political Science from Concordia University. Prior to attending law school, Amanda worked at the High Commission of Canada to the United Kingdom and the United Nations Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Amanda is currently an associate editor with the McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, and volunteers with Pro Bono Students Canada. She is looking forward to working with One Earth Future Foundation this summer. Read her posts.

Nigah Awj – Disability Rights International – Mexico City, Mexico

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund, and and the Hugessen Junior Fellowship in Disability Rights Fund

Nigah Awj is a first year BCL/LLB student at McGill University. She has previously completed a Bachelor of Sciences at McGill. She worked in a fertility clinic and has also done research on prostate cancer in the Montreal Jewish Hospital. Her education, as well has her life experiences as a war refugee and immigrant to Canada, has shaped her strong interests in human rights and her desire to promote and protect them. She previously completed the International Baccalaureate program and traveled to Guatemala for a humanitarian mission. She also founded her own NGO in Montreal and is an active women’s right advocate within her organization and the feminist collective of McGill.

Currently she got engaged with issues of international human rights law as a coordinator of International Justice Portfolio within the Human Rights Working Group of McGill. She is also advocating for immigrant workers’ rights through l’Association des Aides familiales du Quebec as a Pro Bono student. Nigah aspires to be an agent for change and improve human life and condition locally and abroad. Read her posts.

Laetitia Baya Yantren – Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group (CRG) – Calcutta, India

Recipient of the Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law Bursary, and the Lindsey Anne Cameron Award

Laetitia Baya Yantren is a second-year student at the Faculty of Law. She holds a BA in Comparative Literature and Society from Columbia University, as well as a MSc in Economic and Social History from the University of Oxford.

At the Faculty, she fell in love with tax law, critical race theory, and constitutional law (particularly religious freedom and multiculturalism).

She recently joined the Journal of Dispute Resolution. Read her posts.

Antoine Beauchemin – National Human Rights Council of Morocco – Rabat, Morocco

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund, the Francine and Robert Wiseman International Human Rights Award, and the Francine and Robert Wiseman International Internship Award

Antoine étudie en deuxième année en droit à McGill et désire compléter la Majeure en “International Human Rights and Development”. Dès son arrivée à la faculté, il s’est impliqué dans de nombreux comités, notamment “L.E.X. -Law, Éducation, Connexion”, qui consiste à planifier et à offrir des séances introductives sur le droit dans diverses écoles montréalaises. En outre, il s’est joint à “Avocats sans frontières -Université McGill”, dont il est aujourd’hui membre du comité exécutif.

Depuis plusieurs mois, Antoine a eu l’occasion de mettre en pratique ses connaissances légales en travaillant, à titre de bénévole, à la Clinique d’information juridique à McGill et à la Clinique juridique itinérante.

Il ne sous-estime pas l’importance d’un accès à la justice pour tous, et se voit ainsi honoré de pouvoir y contribuer comme stagiaire au Conseil national des droits de l’Homme du Maroc, à Rabat, durant l’été 2016. Lisez ses billets.

Andre Capretti – Cambodian League for the Promotion & Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO) – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Recipient of the M. Novak and K. Weil Human Rights Internship Fund

André is in his second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill’s Law Faculty, majoring in International Human Rights and Development. Prior to law school, he completed a DEC in Social Sciences, with a focus in Law & Social Justice, at Marianopolis College.

À la faculté, André s’implique en tant que membre du comité exécutif d’Avocats sans frontières McGill, et comme bénévole pour la Clinique d’information juridique et pour la Clinique juridique trans*. Il a aussi été bénévole en analyse des médias pour l’Institut montréalais d’études en génocide. André est aussi un fier membre du club de yoga et d’OCFC, l’équipe de soccer de la faculté.

André hopes to one day pursue a career with the Quebec Human Rights Commission. His love of languages, cultures and travel and a desire to work abroad make a career in international law just as likely. He is excited to engage with some challenging human rights issues, especially in the context of a post-genocide society, working with LICADHO in Phnom Penh this summer. Read his posts.

Didier Chelin – Canadian Civil Liberties Association / Association canadienne des libertés civiles – Toronto

Recipient of the M. Novak and K. Weil Human Rights Internship Fund

Didier Chelin is a second year Law student at McGill. He holds a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from Concordia University, focusing on feminism and minority rights. He received the McGill Stephen A. Scott Award in Constitutional Law. His overarching goal is the self-empowerment of marginalized groups underrepresented in the current legal system.

Over the past year, he has volunteered for the McGill Legal Information Clinic. He also participates in a project spearheaded by Solidarity Without Borders helping refugees to apply for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. He currently contributes to the Talk Rights project of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) through a placement with Pro Bono Students Canada, focusing on the status of refugees. He has also worked as a Research Assistant for Professor Vrinda Narain, investigating the history of Charter Jurisprudence concerning religious minorities. He is thrilled to participate in the new internship at the CCLA, an organisation promoting the autonomy and self-empowerment of various social groups.

Fiona Cooke – Avocats sans frontières Canada – Ville de Québec

Recipient of the M. Novak and K. Weil Human Rights Internship Fund

Fiona is currently a first year student in McGill’s law program. Prior to this, she completed her undergraduate degree in International Relations and Modern Languages at the University of Ottawa. After graduation, her love of languages inspired a move to Vienna where she worked as an nanny for a year.

She then completed a Master’s of Laws in International Security at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and an internship at the International Criminal Court. These experiences deepened her interest in international law and its political aspects, and ultimately motivated her application to law school in Montreal.

She is excited to continue to explore the interplay between law, politics, and human rights during her placement at Avocats Sans Frontières. Read her posts.

Jacinthe Dion – Mental Disability Advocacy Centre – Budapest, Hungary

Recipient of the Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund, and the Hugessen Junior Fellowship in Disability Rights Fund

Jacinthe is currently a 1L student in the BCL/LLB program at McGill. Before arriving at the Faculty, she completed an Honours Social Science DEC at Marianopolis College in Law and Social Justice. Her commitment, both at local and international levels, reflects her passion for children’s rights. She is a Board Member of Warm Heart Initiatives which is an NGO that deeply cares about how the world treats children; it is currently working in a village in Malawi. She also works with children with disabilities as a swimming instructor at a public pool and as a volunteer at NOVA Montreal for the Children’s Respite program, which provides respite for parents of chronically ill children.

Upon her arrival at the faculty, she joined other initiatives, mainly becoming co-coordinator of the Court Accompaniment Program as well as becoming Vice-President of External Affairs for the Canadian Student Association for Children’s Rights. Human rights is a broad topic on which she wishes to expand her knowledge beyond her previous experiences in the field. Working with these children has been a privilege for her and now, she is very excited to deepen her involvement working at the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre. Read her posts.

Esther Dionne Desbiens – The Equality Effect – Meru, Kenya

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund, and the Lindsey Anne Cameron Award.

Esther est en deuxième année de droit à McGill. Avant d’entreprendre ses études en droit, elle a complété un Baccalauréat en études des conflits et droits humains à l’Université d’Ottawa. Dans le cadre de ses études, elle a été stagiaire pendant l’été 2013 à The Ark Foundation, Ghana, une organisation qui lutte pour le droit des femmes. Cette expérience a enrichi ses connaissances dans la mise en œuvre des droits humains et développé sa passion pour ceux-ci.

At the Faculty of Law, Esther is President of the student club Avocats sans frontières McGill which promotes human rights and access to justice. She also volunteers at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill where she values the interaction with community members and the satisfaction of providing them with legal information. In addition, Esther volunteers Chez Doris, a shelter for women in the Montreal region. She believes it is incredibly important to ensure that vulnerable populations have their rights protected and have access to services that improve their quality of life.

Esther espère faire carrière dans un milieu qui touche à la résolution de conflits, aux droits de la personne et à l’accès à la justice. Elle a très hâte de partager ses habiletés avec Equality Effect et d’en apprendre davantage au sujet de la contribution de l’organisation au Kenya. Lisez ses billets.

Elodie Fortin – L’organisation Aswat Nissa (Voix de femmes) – Tunis, Tunisia

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund.

Élodie Fortin entame sa quatrième année d’études à la Faculté de droit de McGill. Elle s’intéresse au droit public international, au droit pénal international et aux droits de la personne. Afin d’enrichir sa compréhension des enjeux internationaux et de nourrir son intérêt pour la théorie politique, Élodie a greffé à ses études en droit une mineure en sciences politiques.

Particulièrement sensible à la promotion de la dignité humaine, elle s’est impliquée au sein de plusieurs organisations et cliniques juridiques depuis son entrée à McGill. On y compte notamment Amnistie internationale, l’Itinéraire, la clinique juridique du Bouclier d’Athéna, la clinique juridique du Centre de recherche-action sur les relations raciales (CRARR) et la Clinique d’information juridique à McGill.

Élodie s’intéresse également aux questions féministes. Elle a occupé le poste de Vice-présidente au contenu et à la promotion de la revue Contours de la Faculté de droit de McGill lors de l’année universitaire 2015-2016. Elle est emballée de pouvoir intégrer l’équipe d’Aswat Nissa cet été afin de participer à la lutte contre toutes formes de discrimination basées sur le genre. Elle perçoit cette expérience comme celle d’une grande opportunité d’assister à la rencontre de diverses visions féministes, impliquées vers le même objectif d’aider les femmes à intégrer la vie politique tunisienne.

Anna Goldfinch – Oceans Beyond Piracy – One Earth Future Foundation, Broomfield, USA

Recipient of the One Earth Future Foundation Bursary Award

Anna Goldfinch is a first year law student at McGill who is originally from Lennoxville, Quebec. Previously, Anna was a policy analyst at the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, providing resources to the Task Force on Sexual Abuse of Patients by Registered Health Practitioners. Before this, Anna served as the Ontario Representative for the Canadian Federation of Students from 2013-2015. In this role she represented 350,000 university and college students and led the campaign for Bill 132, legislation to mandate all Ontario universities and colleges to have sexual assault policies and supports for students.

It was this work that made Anna passionate about women’s rights and access to justice and brought her to the McGill faculty of law. Here, she is involved in the Mediation Club and the Court Accompaniment program. Anna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies from Concordia University and a Masters in Public Policy from Carleton University. Read her posts.

Brianna Gorence – The Inter-American Court of Human Rights – San José, Costa Rica

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund

Brianna is a first-year student in the BCL/LLB program at McGill. Prior to her legal studies, she completed a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action at Sciences Po Paris. She received her BA in Philosophy from Suffolk University in Boston. Her studies as an undergraduate led her to participate in study abroad programs in Madrid, Spain and Prague, Czech Republic.

She has spent time working with UNICEF in Burundi and volunteering for a humanitarian advocacy group No More Deaths in southern Arizona. She is currently a co-coordinator for the International Justice Portfolio at the Human Rights Working Group, a volunteer with the International Refugee Assistance Project and an associate editor for the Inter Gentes McGill Journal of International Law and Legal Pluralism. Read her posts.

Emilie de Haas – Instituto de Democracia y Derechos Humanos (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú) – Lima, Peru

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund

Emilie is a first year law student at McGill. She is interested in issues related to restorative justice, cultural rights and legal pluralism. Prior to her legal studies, she completed an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences with specialization in Political Science at the University of Ottawa. During her undergrad, she had the opportunity to travel to several countries in Latin America, where she perfected her ability to speak Spanish and Portuguese fluently. She volunteered at the Modern Languages Department at the University of Ottawa as well as for the Embassy of Guatemala as a translator.

At the Faculty of Law, she is currently an associate editor for Inter Gentes, McGill’s International Law journal. She is also on the research committee for Avocats Sans Frontières and VP-Finances for the Black Law Students Association of McGill.

She is proud to represent McGill as the first intern to Peru. She looks forward to meeting her colleagues for the summer at the Pontifica Universidad Catolica del Peru, and to learning about the country’s rich past, culture and perspective on human rights issues. Read her posts.

Rachel Kohut – Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network – Toronto

Recipient of the M. Novak and K. Weil Human Rights Internship Fund

Prior to starting law school at McGill, Rachel completed her Masters of Public Health at Memorial University and an Honours in International Studies and Modern Languages at the University of Ottawa. She has held positions with organizations such as the United Nations Development Program, International Development Research Centre, Assembly of First Nations, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation.

Beyond the walls of the faculty, Rachel has teamed up with Tahnee Prior to jumpstart a digital platform to facilitate storytelling about gender issues across the Arctic to better inform policy-making decisions in the region. She is also presently a research assistant for Professor Jill Baumgartner investigating the impact of housing on indoor air pollution in northern communities.

Rachel is excited to continue to merge her interests in gender, health and law at the HIV/AIDS Legal Network. Read her posts.

Étienne F. Lacombe – Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services – Iqualuit, Nunavut

Recipient of the Nancy Park Memorial Prize

A graduate of the University of Toronto, Étienne has engaged with many facets of the criminal law including organized crime, drug (de)regulation, community crime prevention, victimology and—most recently—prison law. He is involved with McGill’s Innocence Project, the McGill Law Journal and a community anti-poverty organization.

Originaire de Toronto, Étienne est titulaire d’un baccalauréat en criminologie et en science politique. Ses études l’ont amené à suivre des cours au Canada, en Chine et en Angleterre. Avant d’entamer sa formation en droit, Étienne s’adonnait aux débats étudiants et à l’animation d’une émission de radio communautaire. Il s’intéresse aux dimensions tant culturelles que juridiques de son stage à Iqaluit. Lisez ses billets.

Theo Lyons – Yukon Human Rights Commission – Whitehorse

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund

Theo Lyons is currently in his second year of law school at McGill University. He previously completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science (Honours) with a focus on political theory. Before beginning his studies in law, he interned at the Gulf Region Advocacy Centre, a Houston-based organization which provides legal services to indigent clients facing the death penalty.

During his 1L year he worked at the Centre for Research Action on Race Relations (CRARR), a non-profit organization which provides assistance and representation to victims of racism and other forms of discrimination. He loves trees and mountains, and is extremely excited to be heading to the Yukon to learn more about human rights work next summer. Read his posts.

André Moreau – Center for Health, Human Rights and Development – Kampala, Uganda

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund, and the Hugessen Junior Fellowship in Disability Rights Fund

André is originally from Penetanguishene, Ontario. He is a first year student in McGill’s B.C.L/LLB program. He holds an Honours degree in Speech Communication and Business from the University of Waterloo. Throughout his degree, he had the opportunity to study and work in Alberta, Prince Edward Island, France, and Israel.

André is actively involved in the Aboriginal Law Student’s Association, the McGill Ski and Snowboard Club, and intramural dodgeball. Before coming to McGill, André had been working for the University of Waterloo as their Aboriginal Liaison Officer where he promoted the University of Waterloo to Indigenous students throughout Ontario and Quebec.

André is very excited to have the opportunity to work at CEHURD this summer. He is interested in learning about local health and human rights issues and how they can relate to a Canadian context. Read his posts.

Amelia Philpott – Justice Department at the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne – Ontario/Quebec/NY border

Recipient of the Pearson Chair in Civil Society Bursary, the Lord Reading Society Human Rights Bursary, and the Lindsey Anne Cameron Award

Amelia Philpott holds an honours BA in Arabic and Latin America Studies from the University of Ottawa, and is currently completing her first year at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She is passionate about Indigenous rights, migrant justice, and is a member of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers McGill.

Amelia is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has performed, taught and recorded in Germany, Brazil, Tunisia and Canada. In 2012 her political folk trio Three Little Birds was nominated for the Emerging Artist of the Year category of the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Their song “Uranium Mining” was chosen by the Ottawa Citizen as one of the top 10 songs of that year.

As a person living on unceded Mohawk territory, Amelia is committed to learning more about the histories and the current realities of indigenous communities in the region. She is looking forward to her internship with the Mohawk Akwesasne Justice Department. Read her posts.

Nour Saadi – Human Rights Watch – New York City, USA

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund

Nour is a third-year law student at McGill University where she is also completing a minor in East Asian Studies. She holds an International Baccalaureate from Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf.

Since her first year at McGill, Nour was a member of the Canadian Student Association for Children’s Rights (CSACR) and developed workshops based on the UNConvention on the Rights of the Child. She spent her first summer volunteering at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. In her second year, Nour volunteered with Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) at the RAPLIQ, an organization advocating for the protection of persons with disabilities, while being an associate editor and managing editor for the International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (JSDLP). She is currently a member of the JSDLP’s Executive Board, the PBSC Coordinator and CSACR’s President.

Nour is a dancer and an avid language learner. She is passionate about human rights and international law. She strives to find creative and meaningful ways of using the knowledge and the skills she learned to trigger much needed change. She is sincerely thankful of interning with Human Rights Watch this summer and is looking forward to the challenges the experience will provide. Read her posts.

Marie-Laure Saliah-Linteau – The Canadian Human Rights Foundation (Equitas), Montreal, Canada

Recipient of the M. Novak and K. Weil Human Rights Internship Fund, and the Honourable Mr. Justice Morris J. Fish Award

Marie-Laure est en première année de droit à l’Université McGill dans le programme B.C.L/LLB Avant d’entrer dans ce programme, elle a complété un DEC en sciences humaines dans le profil international au Collège André-Grasset. Marie-Laure se considère comme une « enfant du monde ». Fille d’une mère canadienne et d’un père africain, elle a des racines profondes ancrées sur différents continents et a été élevée avec l’influence de ces deux cultures distinctes.

Tant à travers son parcours scolaire que par ses engagements extrascolaires, Marie-Laure a développé un engouement pour les droits humains. Entre autres, considérant l’importance qu’elle porte à l’éducation, elle a initié et piloté un projet humanitaire visant à procurer des fournitures scolaires dans une école primaire du Niger, en Afrique de l’Ouest. Sa participation pour deux années consécutives au New York National Model of the United Nations (NMUN) lui a aussi permise d’aborder des enjeux d’ordre internationaux liés aux droits humains avec des étudiants provenant de partout dans le monde. Présentement, Marie-Laure s’implique en tant que bénévole pour Avocats sans Frontières Canada- Université Mcgill . Elle fait aussi partie du « Human Rights Working Group » de l’université McGill.

C’est avec enthousiasme que Marie-Laure entreprend son stage au sein d’Equitas. Lisez ses

billets

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Zachary Shefman – Law Reform and Development Commission of Namibia – Windhoek, Namibia

Recipient of the Robert S. Litvack Award, the Frank & Jocelyn Toope Award, and the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund

Zachary is a second-year law student in the BCL/LLB program at McGill University. Before coming to McGill, he completed a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, with a particular focus on ethics, at Carleton University.

Since he began his studies in law, Zachary has interned with the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations, a civil rights organization devoted to combatting discrimination, and volunteered regularly with the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. He currently works as an editor for the McGill Journal of Law and Health, and as a researcher and coordinator with the Medical Student Study Group on Physician-Assisted Suicide, a non-partisan research initiative directed towards investigating policy questions and legislative responses related to physician-assisted suicide. Read his posts.

Matthew Squire – Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa – Banjul, The Gambia

Recipient of the J. Schull and A. Yang Student International Program Fund

Matthew is completing his first year of studies in the BCL/LLB program at McGill. Matthew graduated with an Honours degree in Political Science with International Relations from the University of British Columbia. His honours thesis explored the intersections of social identity with the colonial experience, a topic that continues to interest him.

Matthew’s interest in social justice comes from his passion for working with people. Prior to coming to McGill, Matthew worked as a professional educator in China and as a caretaker for individuals with disabilities in North Vancouver, BC. In addition, Matthew is passionate about independent community-based tourism, with a particular interest in the history and cultures of Central Asia.

Matthew is currently volunteering in Montreal with Pro Bono Students Canada, as well as working on the H & C project with RadLaw McGill and Solidarity Across Borders. Read his posts.

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The 2015 Interns

Vallery Bayly – Avocats sans frontières Canada, Quebec City

Vallery is a second-year student in the BCL/LLB program at McGill. Prior to her legal studies, she completed her undergraduate degree in History and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Toronto. Her interest in foreign languages and history led her to participate in study abroad programs in Nagoya, Japan and Brno, Czech Republic. During her legal studies at McGill, Vallery has volunteered with the Centre communautaire des gais et lesbiennes de Montréal through Pro Bono Students Canada. Currently, she volunteers at the Legal Information Clinic. She is also a member of Innocence McGill, a legal clinic dedicated to investigating claims of wrongful conviction for serious crimes in Quebec. Upon completion of her law degree, she hopes to pursue a career in criminal law. She is excited to engage with international human rights issues with Avocats Sans Frontières this summer. See her posts.

Olivier Beaubien – Disability Rights Watch, Lusaka, Zambia

Olivier complète présentement sa deuxième année de droit à McGill, tout en faisant une mineure en mathématiques. Il travaille comme assistant de recherche en droit des brevets et en socio-éthiques des biotechnologies. Il s’implique aussi en politique et en débat, participant à des concours de débats radiodiffusés.

Olivier contribue à des initiatives humanitaires ponctuelles et a un intérêt particulier pour les causes touchant à la santé mentale.

Il est reconnaissant d’avoir l’opportunité d’aider la cause en participant à l’établissement d’une clinique d’aide juridique pour personnes souffrant d’handicaps intellectuels et mentaux à Lusaka, en Zambie. Lisez ses billets.

Michel Bélanger-Roy – Women For A Change, Buea, Cameroon

Michel complète actuellement sa deuxième année en droit à McGill, tout en effectuant une mineure en économie. Auparavant, il a obtenu un baccalauréat en communication (Stratégies de production culturelle et médiatique) de l’UQAM, complété une session à la European Business School London et travaillé pour différents organismes culturels montréalais. À McGill, il s’est impliqué au sein d’Avocats sans frontières et de L.E.X., un programme d’ateliers de droit en milieu scolaire. Il est également bénévole à la clinique d’information juridique et représentant élu au conseil de faculté.

Michel s’intéresse au développement économique, et croit que celui-ci est intimement lié à la promotion des droits des femmes. C’est pourquoi il est très enthousiaste à l’idée de s’impliquer cet été au sein de Women for a Change au Cameroun. Lisez ses billets.

Dominic Bell – Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services, Iqualuit, Nunavut

Dominic Bell is a second-year law student at McGill University whose relevant interests lie in the realm of human rights advocacy, transitional justice and criminal law. During his undergrad, he completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a focus in political theory and transitional justice along with a Major in French Studies and a Certificate in Business French from Western University. Concomitantly, Dominic worked as a community development aide for London Urban Services Organization, a branch of the United Way of London and Middlesex.

While completing his law degree at McGill, he has worked as a legal research assistant for Professor Vrinda Narain on the topic of Women and Legal Pluralism, is a current co-president of the Black Law Students’ Association of McGill and volunteered at the Legal Information Clinic. Moreover, he has written a term essay on the subject of Aboriginal Rights in Canadian Law and is taking a seminar on Critical Race Theory. Read his posts.

Michael Blashko – First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada, Ottawa

Michael Blashko is a second year law student at McGill University, having previously completed a BA in politics and philosophy from the University of Winnipeg. He has spent time in Kenya working on HIV/AIDS related issues, helping to run a summer hockey camp for kids, and was a student ambassador.

Currently, he is volunteering at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and the LEX high school outreach program where he is visiting the Kahnawake Survival School for the second year.

He is very excited about the opportunity to work with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada this summer where he will be able to explore and apply his interest in Aboriginal issues. Read his posts.

Claire K. Boychuk – Disability Rights International, Mexico City, Mexico

Claire is in her second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. She is a graduate of Lester B. Pearson United World College, received her B.A. (Honours) in Geography and Asian studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and spent a year working at the Parliament of Canada before enrolling at McGill. Her experience filming a documentary in Honduras during the 2009 coup d’état cemented her belief in the importance of civil society and democratic institutions in advancing human rights. In 2014, Claire participated in a short course on disability rights in China through the McGill-Shantou exchange and is excited to gain a comparative perspective on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to learn from dedicated advocates at Disability Rights International. Read her posts.

Jeansil Bruyère – Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Toronto, Canada

Jeansil Bruyère is a second year law student at McGill University. At Concordia University, he received a BA majoring in Communications Studies with a concentration in Intermedia, Design and Public Relations. In addition, he undertook minors in Women in Religions of Asia and Diversity in the Contemporary World at the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability. Through these studies, Jeansil has developed a keen eye for interdisciplinary problem-solving and inclusive thinking which awarded him various scholarships in community development, interdisciplinary studies and contributions to LBGTQ issues.

Outside the faculty, he is a researcher for la Clinique juridique juripop’s debate show “Droit de Cité” broadcasted on CIBL Montreal 101,5FM in collaboration with le Barreau du Québec. He is also one of the founding members of la Clinique Juridique Trans* Legal Clinique graciously hosted by Action Santé Travesti(e)s & Transsexuel(le)s du Québec.

His interest in HIV/AIDS related issues began over four years ago with his internship at AIDS Community Care Montreal and has since then grown into a passion for advocating for the rights of People with HIV/AIDS (PHAs). He has admittedly applied to McGill’s Faculty of Law with the intention of obtaining the International Human Rights internship with the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network (CHALN). Having accomplished this personal goal, he is very eager to contribute and learn from the vast network that is CHALN and its members. Read his posts.

Sarah Chênevert-Beaudoin – Conseil National des droits de l’homme, Rabat, Maroc

Sarah est en deuxième année à la Faculté de droit. Elle a obtenu un baccalauréat en Théâtre et Développement ainsi qu’un diplôme de second cycle en Développement Économique Communautaire de l’Université Concordia. Elle a été danseuse professionnelle, marionnettiste et organisatrice communautaire pour des projets de revitalisation urbaine et de lutte à la pauvreté.

Elle travaille actuellement comme assistante de recherche pour Professor Hoi Kong et contribue à ses recherches sur la gouvernance, l’urbanisme et la participation publique. Ces intérêts incluent l’utilisation des arts pour la transformation sociale, les enjeux d’accessibilité à la justice ainsi que les processus d’empowerment collectifs. Lisez ses billets.

Victoria Cichalewska – The Canadian Human Rights Foundation (Equitas), Montreal, Canada

Victoria Cichalewska is a third year law student at McGill University. In 2012, she graduated from the Liberal Arts Program at John Abbott College. During this program, she worked at John Abbott’s Learning Center where she tutored Philosophy, English and French to students with learning disabilities and international students. While completing her law degree at McGill, Victoria volunteered at McGill’s Legal Information Clinic and interned at Project Genesis where she offered legal information and support in the areas of housing, welfare, pensions and family allowances. She is currently on the executive committee of Avocats sans frontières McGill and volunteers at the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations, a civil rights organization that assists victims of discrimination. Her main interests are international law, human rights and social justice. She is excited about working at Equitas this summer and learning how to promote human rights values through education. Read her posts.

Margherita Cinà – Center for Health, Human Rights and Development, Uganda

Margherita is a second year law student at McGill University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science from McMaster University where she became interested in the social determinants of health. While at McMaster, she was a Research Assistant at the Program in Policy Decision Making of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, as well as at the McMaster Health Forum. There, she learned how academic health policy research is conducted and translated into program planning to improve health outcomes. She also completed an internship at the World Health Organization where she conducted a scoping review on ‘Mentorship programs as a tool to build capacity, nurture leadership, and reduce evidence-to-policy gaps’. Since beginning her studies at McGill, Margherita has been a member of the Avocats Sans Frontière Executive Committee and is currently a Research Assistant for Professor Richard Gold. She is very excited to intern with CEHURD this summer and continue exploring her interests in the intersection of health and human rights in the context of a developing country. Read her posts.

Jessica De Santi – Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group (CRG), Calcutta, India

Jessica De Santi has just completed her second year of the LLB/BCL program at McGill University’s Faculty of Law. Hailing from Sudbury, Ontario, Jessica moved to Montreal six years ago to study at McGill, obtaining an Honours Degree in Political Science with a minor in World Religions. Since starting her law degree, she has been involved with the McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, and has recently added volunteering at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. Jessica is excited to join the Calcutta Research Group this summer and is looking forward to the challenges the experience will provide. Her research interests broadly encompass the intersection of politics and law, especially on issues surrounding conflict and post-conflict reconstruction. Outside of the Faculty, Jessica is an avid dancer, training most recently in various street dance styles, and was an assistant choreographer for a semi-professional theatre company. Read her posts.

Anna Gilmer – Justice Department at the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Akwasasne

Anna Gilmer is in her first year at the Faculty of Law and was the recipient of the Chief Justice R.A.E. Greenshields Memorial Scholarship. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics and First Nations Studies from Western University.

Anna is interested in the relationship between Indigenous issues and the law, and has developed that interest through her education, work and volunteer experience. Most recently, she has been providing legal information at the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal through a placement with Pro Bono Students Canada. She is also a member of Innocence McGill and the McGill Law Squash Club. Anna is very excited to start her internship at Akwesasne and to work with their Justice Department. Read her posts.

Humera Jabir – Human Rights Watch, New York City, USA

Humera Jabir is a law student at McGill University. She has a degree in Political Science from McGill and is also a graduate of Lester B. Pearson United World College in British Columbia.

Humera’s community and international work focuses on human rights and refugee protection. In Montreal, she has worked for the Center for Research Action on Race Relations on behalf of individuals facing discrimination. She also worked with Action Refugee Montreal providing legal support to refugee claimants in Canadian detention. In 2011, Humera worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees in Jerusalem. She has also worked on minority and cultural integration programs in Holland and Japan.

Humera’s communication experience includes writing commentary pieces for the Toronto Star and contributing to CBC Radio and other media. She has presented research papers at the 2014 International Conference on Islamophobia at the University of California – Berkeley, and the 2010 Canadian Political Science Association Conference. In 2009, she worked as a documentary journalist in Kenya reporting on the work of pro bono criminal justice lawyers. Read her posts.

Kaley Lachapelle – Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Costa Rica

Kaley Lachapelle is a second year student of the BCL/LLB program at McGill . She graduated with an MA in International Law and Settlement of Disputes from the United Nations mandated University for Peace located in Costa Rica. She also holds an Honours Degree in Political Science, with a minor in Latin American studies, from the University of Calgary.

Following the completion of her Master’s degree, Kaley worked in Costa Rica at CATIE (the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) on sustainable development initiatives throughout Latin America. She is currently the co-Chair for the McGill chapter of Canadian Lawyers Abroad.

Having lived for seven years in Latin America, Kaley has developed a strong connection to the culture and the people while gaining an invaluable wealth of knowledge about the region. She looks forward to the opportunity of working at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights as a meaningful way to connect her values, experience and interest in international law with her legal education. Read her posts.

Laura MacLean – One Earth Future Foundation, Colorado, USA

Originally from London, Ontario, Laura MacLean, is currently in the second year of BCL/LLB program. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Studies and Modern Languages from the University of Ottawa.

Laura volunteers with the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and Action Réfugiés Montréal, and is a prospective member of Seeing Voices Montreal, an organization that raises deaf awareness through performing arts. She is passionate about travel, languages and various sports. She speaks English, French and Spanish fluently and is currently learning American Sign Language. Laura is eager to work with One Earth Future Foundation in Colorado this summer. Read her posts.

Carly Meredith – Oceans Beyond Piracy, One Earth Future Foundation, Colorado, USA

Carly Meredith will be entering her third year of the B.C.L/LLB program at McGill’s Faculty of law. She previously completed an Honour’s Bachelor Degree in International Politics and Languages at the University of Ottawa. During her studies, she completed a thesis on Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic with a focus on territorial and maritime issues.

Carly is committed to social justice and currently volunteers for the McGill chapter of the Innocence project, a legal clinic devoted to researching and investigating claims of wrongful convictions. She also sits on a board of directors at a halfway house. Carly is actively involved with the Irish community in Montreal and enjoys studying the intersection between languages, culture and the law. She is excited to spend the summer in Colorado and looks forward to completing her internship with Oceans Beyond Piracy which she hopes will contribute to her understanding and appreciation of international law as a means for resolving conflict. Read her posts.

Brodie Noga – Cambodian League for the Promotion & Defence of Human Rights, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Brodie Noga is in his second year of law school at McGill. He holds a BA in Environmental Geography and Anthropology from SFU and a MA in Anthropology from McGill. His graduate research focused on the sensorial aspects of environmental beliefs within Bolivian mining cooperatives and the role such beliefs played in environmental conflicts. Professionally, he has worked as an access technologist for McGill’s Office for Students with Disabilities and as a climate change consultant for BC municipalities.

Brodie is currently a senior editor with the McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, volunteers with the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and is a research assistant for Professor Stephen Smith. He is looking forward to working with LICADHO in Phnom Penh this summer and collaborating on their many initiatives. Read his posts.

Maria Rodriguez – Equality Effect, Kenya

Maria Rodriguez is in her second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill’s Law Faculty. She is originally from Bogota, Colombia, where she lived until she was 17. Before coming to law school, Maria did a DEC in the ‘Law, Society and Justice’ social science profile at Dawson College. At the law faculty, Maria is the Vice-President of Internal Events of the Law Student Association, and she is an associate editor of the newly created Journal of International Law and Legal Pluralism, Inter Gentes. During the summer, she also volunteered at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill where she was able to facilitate access to legal information and gain practical experience.

Maria is passionate about social justice and international law, and she is now completing a major in Human Rights and International Development inspired by a desire to explore the different mechanisms that exist, or that can be developed, to bring redress to human rights violations in vulnerable communities. She is now thrilled to undertake the internship with the Equality Effect this summer in Kenya! Read her posts.

Yuan Stevens – The Canadian Human Rights Foundation (Equitas), Montreal, Canada

Yuan (You-anne) Stevens just finished her first year at McGill’s Faculty of Law and is excited to be an intern at Equitas.

She holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto as well as an Honours Bachelor of Music Education from Western University. She has previously worked as a teacher in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

She is currently part of the board of directors for Head & Hands, an organization that both empowers young people and promotes their physical and mental well-being through inclusive, non-judgmental and holistic community and care. Yuan loved her work in 2014-2015 as a legal researcher for the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), an organization that assists victims of discrimination.

As a former Crown Ward, she has been an advocate and ambassador for the Children’s Aid Foundation in Toronto, Ontario and is passionate about child welfare, disability rights, digital security, and good graphic design. Read her posts.

Frédérique St-Jean

Frédérique St-Jean termine présentement sa troisième année d’études en droit à McGill. Pour en apprendre plus sur la politique québécoise, un sujet qui la passionne, elle a entrepris en parallèle une mineure en politique canadienne et québécoise. Auparavant, Frédérique a complétée son diplôme d’études collégiales en sciences de la santé au Cégep de sa ville natale, St-Jérôme.

Durant ses études en droit, Frédérique s’est impliquée au sein de la Revue internationale de droit et politique du développement durable de McGill et de la clinique d’aide juridique à McGill. Elle a aussi participé à plusieurs simulations des Nations-Unies, forum au sein duquel elle a pu débattre d’enjeux mondiaux actuels tels que les migrants non-documentés et le trafic d’armes.

Frédérique s’intéresse particulièrement au droit international public, au droit de l’environnement, et aux droits de l’homme. Elle profite de chaque occasion pour découvrir des pays étrangers et s’immerger dans une nouvelle culture. Elle est enthousiaste à l’idée de lutter contre la discrimination envers les femmes et d’aider les femmes à s’impliquer plus activement dans la vie publique au sein de l’organisation tunisienne Aswat Nissa. Lisez ses billets.

Dan Snyder – Ateneo Centre for Human Rights, Manila, the Philippines

Dan Snyder is in his third year of studies in the Faculty of law at McGill. He previously completed an Honours B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies at St. Stephen’s University in New Brunswick. During this degree, he spent two terms studying abroad: one in Southeast Asia, an area he is excited to revisit with this internship opportunity.

Dan has a keen interest in politics. He was inspired by his work during an internship on Parliament Hill to pursue a legal education.

In an effort to apply his skills in advocacy, Dan has served as President and member of the Executive of OutLaw at McGill. For the past year, Dan has represented the students of the Law Faculty on the McGill Senate. In this capacity, he has been active in drafting a new Sexual Assault Policy and successful in passing a new mental health initiative for students. He also attended the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome as the youth delegate from McGill. Read his posts.

Marilyn Venney – One Earth Future Foundation, Colorado, USA

Marilyn Venney is completing her second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. She holds a BA with Honours in international development studies from McGill University, where she focused on Middle Eastern and African politics. As part of her undergraduate studies she participated in McGill’s Canadian Field Study in East Africa, where she spent a semester studying with other McGill students in rural Kenya and Tanzania. During the field study she completed a research project focusing on perceptions of governance and the central role of civil society in Kenya. She also volunteered with a women’s group in Nairobi, helping them establish a women’s crisis centre in Kibera.

Since beginning her legal studies at McGill, Marilyn has volunteered with the Shield of Athena through Pro Bono Students Canada and at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. She is also a junior advocate with McGill’s Student Advocacy. Marilyn is very excited about participating in the International Human Rights Internship program. Her internship at One Earth Future will allow her to combine her interest in international development and human rights with her legal studies. Read her posts.

Anna Wettstein – Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, The Gambia

Anna Wettstein is currently in her third year at the McGill Faculty of Law where she is specializing in International Human Rights and Development. Prior to her law studies, Anna studied at Brandeis University in Boston where she graduated with honors. There, she majored in International Relations and European Cultural Studies with minors in Economics and Politics. In line with her focus on international cooperation and, more specifically at the time, the European Union, she then worked with the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association in Brussels.

Since coming to McGill, Anna has been particularly interested in public international law and human rights, with a focus on transnational institutional structures and prospects for international cooperation. She is currently working at the Commission des normes du travail du Quebec and holds the position of associate editor at the new McGill Journal of International Law & Legal Pluralism, Inter Gentes. Anna is extremely excited to be working at the IHRDA where she will have the opportunity to work directly with regional human rights instruments and institutions. Read her posts.

Max Zidel – Mental Disability Advocacy Centre, Budapest, Hungary

Originally from Toronto, Max moved to Montréal six years ago to pursue an honours degree in Political Science and English Literature and Drama at McGill. Now he is in his second year of his LLB/BCL at the McGill Faculty of Law. So far, Max has found all of the subject matter in his legal education exceedingly interesting, and can’t wait to stand up one day in court pleading for causes and clients for whom he cares a great deal about. As such, he is beyond excited to start work in the Strategic Litigation Division at the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre this coming summer. Having had a sister with severe mental disability, Max is sensitive to the enormous impact that law and policy can have on the lives of those facing similar challenges.

Aside from his legal studies, Max is also an avid admirer of the arts. He has acted in, adapted and directed several theatrical productions, writes amateur poetry and also tries to see as many fine arts exhibitions as he can. As he has said himself on several occasions, his love of the law and desire to be a lawyer stem from a broader fascination with societal culture and the human condition. One of his favourite professors Jeffrey Miller once said, “law is prose; justice is poetry.” For Max then, the life-long challenge is to find a way to bridge the inevitable gap between the two. Read his posts.

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The 2014 Interns

Diana Arghiscu – EQUITAS – The Canadian Human Rights Foundation, Montreal

Diana Arghiscu is a law student at McGill University as well as a Sinologist specialized in government ethics and comparative moral philosophy (Western-Chinese). She’s a former student of National Taiwan Normal University and Université Paris 7 and received her PhD in East Asian Studies from Université Paris 7, Denis Diderot. Diana is currently teaching at Université du Québec à Montréal and is collaborating as visiting researcher with the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Science, National Taiwan University. Her work has been published by Éditions du Cerf, Paris and by Journal of Chinese Philosophy. Diana is volunteering with L.E.X. Program, McGill University, Faculty of law. She’s also interested in cultural diversity, minority and children rights.

Nicolas Aubin – Avocats Sans Frontières, Quebec City

Nicolas Aubin is in his second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill University and was the recipient of the 125th Anniversary National Program entrance Scholarship to the faculty of Law. He holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations and International Law from the Université du Québec à Montréal. His main interests are Public International Law, Environmental Law, Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law. He developed his passion for these subjects through his work at the Clinique internationale de défense des droits humains de l’UQAM and as a Faculty Advisor in Model UN conferences. Nicolas’ interests in legal research and the above mentioned subjects has also brought him to work as an intern at the Revue québécoise de droit international and as a research assistant in the Université du Québec à Montréal where he studied the impact of developments in biotechnologies on human rights. Furthermore, Nicolas is also currently working for the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and for the organisation Eau Secours through Pro Bono Students Canada. Eau Secours is an organisation that promotes a responsible administration of natural resources in the province of Quebec. Finally, he is also helping the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) on the redaction of a amicus curiae for a case that will be presented at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights this spring. Nicolas is looking forward to working with Avocats Sans Frontières in Quebec City this summer.

McLean Ayearst – Legal Officer with Jesuit Refugee Services, Thailand

After graduating from York University with an honours in International Development Studies, M. McLean Ayearst contributed to the field through academic publications and as a professional working in policy and advocacy. He has completed the first year of the BCL/LLB program at the McGill Faculty of Law. McLean’s research interests include Public International Law and the effective administration of legal systems. Previously McLean worked with Africa Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) in Cairo providing full representation for refugees appearing before the UNHCR. He is excited to be working again with refugees through his internship with Jesuit Refugee Service, providing direct legal services to Bangkok’s urban refugee community.

Kyle Best – One Earth Future Foundation, Colorado, USA

Kyle Best will be entering his third year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. His undergraduate studies in Criminology gave rise to an interest in Criminal law. He has since gained practical experience in the field, working as a student advocate for a legal clinic that provides aid to marginalized people facing troubles with the law, with a focus on the needs of First Nations. Through this work, he was able to recognize the individual humanity that exists behind wider social problems, which highlighted for him the importance protecting and preserving human rights. Kyle is particularly interested in the intersection between International and Criminal law, and has viewed the significant challenges that this intersection poses in his position as a director of the International Criminal Court at the McGill Model United Nations Conference. Kyle is looking forward to his upcoming work for Oceans Beyond Piracy, and is excited to apply his interests by contributing to their support of the international community in the face of contemporary maritime piracy. Read his posts.

Cécile Capela – Akwesasne Mohawk Council

Cécile Capela is a third year law student at McGill University, and she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science & Philosophy with a focus in political theory. She grew up in Reunion Island, and studied two years in Australia. She is interested in both the philosophical foundation of the law and the advancement of social justice. In her last year of undergraduate studies, she was a fellow student of McGill’s Research Group on Constitutional Studies (RGCS), and in her first year of law school, she was the research assistant of Prof. Vincent Forray. In this position, she engaged in a dialogue between law and philosophy, reflecting on the questions of responsibility, uncertainty and risk. Cécile is committed to an interdisciplinary and critical approach in legal and human right research – drawing from Architecture, Literature, Philosophy, Psychology and other disciplines. Since she started law school, she volunteered at various legal clinics, and interned at the Mile End Legal Clinic. In the summer 2013, she received the Aisenstadt fellowship from the Centre of Human Rights and Legal Pluralism of McGill, and worked mainly on their Aboriginal Human Rights initiatives. Her interest in Aboriginal issues is a long-standing one; it began in 2007 when she studied in Western Australia, and cohabited with a survivor of the Stolen Generation. Read her posts.

Martha Chertkow – Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services, Iqaluit, Nunavut

Martha Chertkow is a second-year law student at McGill University, whose main interests lie in immigration and refugee law, access to justice and the interplay between customary and formal law. Martha holds an interdisciplinary background in politics, law and human rights and her professional experiences have spanned over four continents. Before her legal studies, Martha worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Mayukwayukwa Refugee Settlement in Zambia in refugee protection and for the United Nations Development Programme in Timor-Leste in access to justice. Building on her Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management from Carleton University, Martha’s experience has aimed to bridge both fieldwork and policy circles, having also worked for Oxfam International’s Head Office lobbying UN Security Council members, as well as an assistant to several Canadian Members of Parliament. While completing her law degree at McGill, Martha also works as a legal research assistant for an immigration and refugee lawyer, is president of Avocats sans frontières McGill and volunteers at two local legal clinics focused on aboriginal law and housing, employment and welfare issues. Read her posts.

Arielle Corobow – EQUITAS – The Canadian Human Rights Foundation, Montreal

Arielle Corobow is a second year law student at McGill. Prior to starting at the Faculty, she completed a BA at McGill in World Religions and Women’s Studies and spent a year volunteering with different organizations in Israel, Italy and Scotland. She is one of the founding members of the Feminist Collective at McGill Law and works specifically with their outreach program . She is also involved with McGill’s LEX high school outreach program, ambassador program and the Transymphonics music group. She is excited about working at EQUITAS this summer and combining her interests in education and human rights. Other areas of interest include gender issues, religion, social movement and minority rights. Read her posts.

Jonathan Coulombe – LICADHO, Phnom Penh, Cambodge

Jonathan Coulombe complète actuellement sa deuxième année du programme BCL/LLB à la Faculté de droit de McGill. Il a précédemment obtenu un Baccalauréat en Études de Développement International et en Relations Internationales à McGill avant de poursuivre ses études en droit. Montréalais d’origine, Jonathan s’est rapidement ouvert sur le monde, s’impliquant au cours de son parcours académique, avec Amnistie International, Développement et Paix, et le Club 2/3. Il a aussi participé à des stages à l’étranger avec des organismes comme Expérience Dominicaine et Jeunesse Canada Monde. Par ailleurs, Jonathan a développé son sens du communautarisme, de l’entraide, et de la justice au travers de son implication dans le mouvement scout, dont il fait partie depuis 17 ans et pour lequel il est responsable de groupe de jeunes adolescents qu’il anime et forme. Jonathan adore relever les défis et sortir de sa zone de confort. En ce sens, le stage auquel il participera cet été au Cambodge sera assurément une expérience des plus enrichissantes. Lisez ses billets.

Guilhem de Roquefeuil – IHRDA, Banjul, The Gambia

Guilhem de Roquefeuil will be entering his third year of legal studies at McGill University. He previously completed a Joint Honours BA in Political Science and International Development Studies at McGill. Guilhem has lived on four continents after leaving his home country, France, at a young age. During his undergraduate studies, Guilhem developed a marked interest for issues of democratic consolidation in Latin America. Notably, he published an article on the constitutional development of Indigenous Rights in the region and surveyed the evolution of political corruption in the Andean countries. His work on the field involved implementing public transparency initiatives throughout Ecuador, as well as social and ecological volunteer work in the country. As a law student, Guilhem is particularly interested in International Law, Human Rights Law and Refugee Law. He is currently working on an Amicus Report for the Inter American Court of Human Rights, and volunteers for the McGill Legal Clinic. For Guilhem, interning at the IHRDA represents a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of International Development, Political Science and International Law, while contributing to the advance of the African Human Rights regime. Read his posts.

Amanda Ghahremani – Human Rights Watch, New York City, USA

Amanda Ghahremani is entering her third year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She received her BA in European studies from UCLA, where she focused on minority and immigrant cultures in Europe. During her BA she studied at the Universidad de Córdoba, in Spain, and Georg-August Universität, in Germany. She completed her Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney, predominantly researching refugee and asylum-seeker discourse in Australia. She worked with the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, focusing on refugee advocacy through the lens of new social movement theory, social psychology, and peace and conflict literature, subsequently presenting her research at the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies’ annual conference in 2012. While at the Faculty of Law, Amanda has been a member of Innocence McGill, a legal clinic dedicated to researching and investigating claims of wrongful convictions for serious crimes in Québec. She has also been working with “Le mouvement contre le viol et l’inceste”, a psycho-social and legal aid clinic for refugees and asylum seekers that have experienced sexual or domestic violence. Amanda is an associate managing editor of the McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (JSDLP) and has been on the editing team of several Women Living Under Muslim Law (WLUML) publications. Her interests range from international criminal law and refugee law to the performing arts.

Peter Grbac – Calcutta Research Group, Calcutta, India

Peter Grbac is a first year law student in the BCL/LLB program at McGill University. He holds a Masters with Distinction in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford and an AB Magna cum Laude in Social Studies from Harvard College. His research interests focus on social theory, the urban dynamics of forced displacement and migration, borders and citizenship, and International Human Rights and Refugee Law. His undergraduate research centered on the situation of the Roma population in France, specifically the way in which their identity was crystallized in and through French urban space. His graduate research explores the urbanity of the refugee camp space, conceiving the camp as a space in which particular rights, namely the right to the city, can be conceived and realized. Read his posts.

Matthias Heilke

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Legal Action for Persons with Disabilities, Uganda

Matthias Heilke is a second-year student at McGill Law. He holds a BA with honours in political science from McGill University. Matthias has long been interested in international affairs and legal justice. Before McGill, he attended Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific, where he spent his spare time discussing international issues with students from around the world. As an undergraduate, Matthias advocated for human rights in North Korea as the Vice President of Research for HanVoice McGill. He now volunteers at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and with the Disability and Law Working Group. Matthias’s current academic interests include post-conflict institutional reconstruction, and contract law. To that end, he helps teach first-year students contract law as a group assistant for Prof. Helge Dedek. Outside the faculty, Matthias works as research assistant for Dr. Stuart Soroka at the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, investigating negativity bias in democratic systems. Read his posts.

Matthew Millman-Pilon – One Earth Future Foundation, Colorado, USA

Matthew Millman-Pilon is enjoying his first year of the BCL/LLB program at Mcgill. He obtained his BA in psychology from Concordia University in 2013, while volunteering at Concordia’s Behavioural Medicine Laboratory and the Douglas Institute’s Eating Disorders Clinic. In 2009, Matthew spent six months in Afghanistan as an infantry soldier with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team, where his psychological perspective combined with observations about the rule of law to spark an interest in international criminal law. Due to the inherent difficulties he perceived in trying to achieve positive change through coercion, he finds the One Earth Future’s approach of Peace Through Governance very appealing. He is eager to delve into the topic of the role of the private sector in the prevention of mass atrocities. Read his posts.

Iñaki Navarrete – Disability Rights International, Mexique

Iñaki Navarrete est d’origine chilienne. Il termine actuellement sa deuxième année d’études en droit à McGill. Auparavant, il a un obtenu un Baccalauréat littéraire au Collège Stanislas, à Montréal. À la faculté, Inaki est bénévole au sein de la Clinique d’information juridique à McGill et rédacteur francophone à la Revue de droit et santé de McGill. Il s’intéresse notamment au droit international public, aux droits de l’homme ainsi qu’au droit pénal. Autrement, il nourrit une passion pour la philosophie et la cuisine mexicaine. Cette année, Inaki concrétise la première en donnant quelques cours de philosophie au cégep. Une fois au Mexique, il compte bien alimenter son intérêt pour les droits de l’homme en travaillant comme stagiaire pour Disability Rights International. Lisez ses billets.

Annie O’Dell – Equality Effect, Nairobi, Kenya

Annie O’Dell is in her second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. She completed her BFA in Acting from Memorial University in 2007. In between degrees, she taught English in rural towns in South Korea for several years. Annie’s main interest is in the interaction of the law with marginalized groups, particularly impoverished women. Since 2012, she has been involved with the publication of Contours, a magazine on the subject of women and the law, which she co-founded. She is an active member of the Feminist Collective at McGill. Proving her eclectic background and diverse experience, Annie is also on the board of directors for Canada Student Law Games Inc., which organized a five-day competition and networking event for over 750 law students from across the country. Finally, she directed a series of Chekhov plays, starring some very talented McGill Law students. Read her posts.

Jacinthe Poisson – Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Costa Rica

Jacinthe Poisson is presently a 3rd year law student at McGill and holds an undergraduate degree in international law and relations at Université du Québec à Montréal. Although interested in human rights for many years, her passion was ignited by the events of the G20 in Toronto in 2010 and the arrests during the student strike of Quebec in 2013. Jacinthe is particularly involved with issues surrounding the right to protest in Canada, having played a role during the special audience on freedom of speech in Canada at the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and has also published academic articles on the issue. Another of her passions is gender rights, in which she undertook an internship on gender violence at AdHoc in Cambodia in 2011 and also on sexual and psychological harassment in the workplace at the GAIHST (Groupe d’aide et d’intervention en harcèlement au travail) in 2013. She furthered her learning as a research assistant last summer at the Centre Paul-André Crépeau de droit privé et comparé as a Kasirer & Brisson Fellow. Jacinthe has long held a connection with Latin American through her many travels and volunteer engagements. She is thrilled to undertake the internship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the summer of 2014. Read her posts.

Isabelle Rémillard – Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Toronto, Canada

Isabelle Rémillard will be entering her third year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill.

She graduated from the University of Ottawa with a BA in Conflict Studies and Human Rights and she is currently completing her professional training in Disaster and Humanitarian Response with the Humanitarian Studies Initiative. She has a keen interest in the law of armed conflict and wishes to pursue a career in this field.

She is also an associate editor for the McGill Law Journal, a member of Avocats Sans Frontières and the Human Rights Working Group at McGill, and volunteers for Solidarity Across Borders. Read her posts.

Stacey Smydo – One Earth Future Foundation, Colorado, USA

Stacey Smydo is in her first year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. She is originally from Elora, Ontario and she holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in Political Science and History from the University of Ottawa. During her undergraduate studies, she focused her studies and work experience in international affairs. She spent a year studying at Sciences Po Paris and conducted field research on civic engagement of women in Dakar, Senegal. She spent last summer working at the Parliament of Canada. Stacey is very excited to participate in the International Human Rights Internship Program. The internship will allow her to continue to explore her interest in international affairs and human rights and to bring this together with her legal studies. Read her posts.

Katie Spillane – Ateneo Centre for Human Rights, Manila, the Philippines

Katie Spillane is a third-year law student currently serving as the coordinator of McGill’s Legal Clinic Course. Having completed a joint honours degree in East Asian Studies and International Development at McGill, prior to law school Katie drew on her experiences living in China to inform her work as a translator and cultural consultant. Among the assignments she enjoyed most were a two-year stint spent working as a paralegal at an immigration law firm in New York City’s China Town and providing cultural awareness training for heli-skiing guides in British Columbia. After spending the last two summers working as a research assistant to Dean Daniel Jutras and Professor Lara Khoury, Katie looks forward to a career in which she hopes to combine her interests in public law, health and access to justice. Read her posts.

Lucia Westin – First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada, Ottawa

Lucia is in her first year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. In 2013, she graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a BA in Music and French. During the summers of 2012 and 2013 she conducted research in Tunisia in the field of ethnomusicology through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Lucia is interested in how to improve society’s impact on individuals. She is particularly concerned for the pursuit of justice for the vulnerable and marginalized. This vision has been inspired by her involvement with clubs during her undergraduate studies, such as the Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and her experience with l’Association des aides familiales du Québec. This past year, Lucia volunteered with l’AAFQ through Pro Bono Students Canada at McGill.

Suzanne Zaccour – Coalition des ONG et OCB du Cameroun œuvrant dans le domaine des Établissements Humains (CONGEH), Yaoundé, Cameroun

Suzanne Zaccour termine sa première année de droit à McGill. Avant son arrivée à la Faculté, elle a complété un DEC en sciences pures et appliquées au Collège Brébeuf. Elle a commencé à s’intéresser aux droits de la personne à son école secondaire, où elle a dirigé un groupe d’aide sociale pendant trois ans. Son engouement pour les droits humains vise particulièrement les droits des femmes, et elle s’investit beaucoup dans les trois clubs féministes de sa Faculté. Elle espère poursuivre cette implication à travers le stage qu’elle effectuera au Cameroun. Ayant vécu en Espagne et au Mexique et ayant beaucoup voyagé, elle s’est découvert une passion pour les pays étrangers, et elle voit son stage comme une occasion d’apprendre à connaitre la culture camerounaise. Lisez ses billets.

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The 2013 Interns

Lia Bellefontaine – ATENEO, Manila, Philippines

Lia Bellefontaine will be entering her third year of the BCL/LLB program at Mcgill. She holds an undergraduate degree (licence) in history from l’Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. She is particularly interested in human rights and environmental law. Lia is currently working as a student volunteer at the Centre Québécois du Droit de l’Environnement through Probono Students Canada, researching oil and gas exploitation in Québec. She is also a volunteer at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill. In her first year of law school, she was an executive member of the McGill Chapter of Canadian Lawyers Abroad.

Lia is interested in the intersection between human rights, housing, poverty and the environment. Prior to attending law school, she was involved in the production of a documentary film called “The Mayor of Tent City”, which discussed the establishment and forced eviction of a shanty town near Toronto’s waterfront. She travelled to Costa Rica to volunteer at Pretoma, an organization dedicated to the protection of Oliver Ridley turtles. Lia has experience researching urban and municipality issues while working with the Centre for Urban Research and Policy Analysis, as well as labour and employment issues while working with the Workplace Fairness Institute. Read her posts.

Alexandra Bornac – Coalition des ONG et OCB du Cameroun œuvrant dans le domaine des Établissements Humains (CONGEH), Yaoundé, Cameroun

Alexandra Bornac will be entering her third year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. The process of emigration from Romania and her travelling experience spurred her interests for matters of cultural diversity, issues of linguistics and problems that arise within national development.

Prior to starting her law studies Alexandra graduated from Vanier College in Modern Languages. Her interest in human rights developed through her participation in Model UN conferences along with fellow McGill law students.

At this year’s Harvard Model UN, Alexandra represented the Republic of Cameroon in the World Health Organization where the core issue was that of sexual violence during armed conflict. She is a managing editor for the McGill Law and Health Journal, stage-managed the The Dining Room by A. R. Gurney and acted in The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie both within the faculty’s Actus Reus Theatre Group. Read her posts.

Diya Bouchedid – Avocats sans frontières, Quebec City, Canada

Diya entame sa troisième année de droit dans le programme BCL/LLB. Elle a préalablement complété un Master en sociologie à l’Université McGill pour lequel elle a rédigé sa thèse sur l’impact de l’affiliation religieuse sur l’attitude envers la peine de mort.

Au cours de ses études universitaires, Diya s’est engagée dans des travaux de recherches axés conjointement vers la sociologie et le droit et plus particulièrement la violence policière, la violation des droits des détenus et la présomption d’innocence. Elle entretient sa passion du droit de la personne, du droit criminel et de la criminologie en tant que membre d’Innocence McGill, ce qui lui donne l’opportunité d’assister des avocats criminalistes dans l’effort d’exonérer des individus faussement accusés.

Son intérêt à la formation et à la sensibilisation des jeunes aux droits humains et aux principes de justice et d’équité l’ont portée vers le tutorat, le programme de High School Outreach et l’assistance à l’enseignement universitaire. Diya est également bénévole à la Clinique d’information Juridique de McGill. Elle rêve d’avoir un jour le temps de suivre quelques cours de salsa.

Jim Burman – Shuraako, One Earth Future Foundation, Colorado, USA

Jim Burman is currently in his second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill.

He arrived at the law faculty with a broad range of academic and professional experiences and a strong interest in the justice systems of fragile and transitional states.

Most recently employed as an export compliance analyst with a Montreal aerospace company, Jim has also worked for the US Defense Department in Washington, DC, and with a NGO in Bangladesh. He holds a MA in International Affairs from George Washington University and BSc in Soil Science from McGill. Read his posts.

Alyssa C. Clutterbuck – Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Toronto, Canada

Alyssa is entering her second year of legal studies at McGill. She completed her BA at McGill in 2008 and her Master’s degree at Cornell University in 2011. She has twice worked in Accra, Ghana for women’s rights organizations and was a participant in the School of Criticism and Theory in 2010. She has presented her research in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Alyssa has edited several publications including Dr. Kathleen Fallon’s book Democracy and the Rise of Women’s Movements in Sub-Saharan Africa (2008) and The Architecture for Violence against Women in Ghana (2009) by Kathy Cusack and Takyiwaa Manuh.

Alyssa is a co-host of two radio shows on CKUT in Montreal including Legalease, a monthly show bringing topics in law to community radio airwaves. Her interests include health law and social policy, labour law, and legal analysis in journalism. Read her posts.

Linda El Halabi – EQUITAS, Montréal, Canada

Linda is completing her first year of McGill’s BCL/LLB program. A native of Lebanon, she moved to Canada 4 years ago where she completed her BA at McGill in Political Science and East Asian Studies and graduated on the Dean’s Honour List. Linda’s interest in East Asia led her to learn Mandarin and get involved as president of the McGill Chapter of Global China Connection. She also won the first prize of the Chinese speech contest for Canada in her category, which allowed her to travel to China in July 2012 and attend the international Chinese Bridge competition in Changsha, Hunan.

Linda has a strong interest for education and human rights. At the age of 16, she joined the Lebanese Red Cross and served as her center’s youngest volunteer for two years prior to moving to Canada. As a university student she has interned at the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO. She also worked as a research assistant with a Lebanese professor and assisted her both in leading workshops on deconstructing religious stereotypes of university students, and conducting qualitative research on Lebanese youth’s perspectives on post-war reconciliation. Following this research, she co-authored a paper with the professor, which they both presented to a panel of academics and NGO leaders at the 11th UKFIET international conference in Oxford University.

Linda has been volunteering with the High School Outreach Program, and she is an executive member of the Asia Pacific Law Association of McGill University (APLAM). She is also a member of the Transsymphonics McGill Law choir. Linda is looking forward to working with Equitas this summer and taking part in their three-week International Human Rights Training Program.

Claire Gunner – Inter American Court, San José, Costa Rica

Claire is a second-year law student at McGill. She graduated from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania with a BA in French and Spanish language and literature in 2009. Claire has volunteered with Coalition des familles homoparentales and Project Genesis, a legal information clinic in Côte-des-Neiges, with McGill’s chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada, where she is also a volunteer coordinator for 2012-2013.

Claire is also an assistant coordinator for the 2013 Echenberg Conference on Democracy, Human Rights, and the Fragility of Freedom. Claire plans to complete the major in International Human Rights and Development. Read her posts.

Emily Hazlett – Disability Rights International, Mexico City

Emily is entering her second year at the Faculty of Law. Prior to coming to McGill she completed a Master’s in Canadian Studies, (funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), which examined the role of the Canadian state in cultural and colonial contexts. She has worked as a researcher and teacher in Paris, Ottawa and Berlin. Time spent interning on Parliament Hill has lead to an ongoing interest in Aboriginal issues, disability rights and criminal law. She has also worked on a number of projects involving Indigenous rights and sustainable development.

Having most recently built bicycle-machines at NGO Maya Pedal in Guatemala, Emily is excited to be returning to the region to work with Disability Rights International. Read her posts.

Andrew Higdon – Oceans Beyond Piracy, One Earth Future Foundation, Colorado, USA

Andrew Higdon is a second year law student at McGill University with an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Queens University. He is a Sub-Lieutenant Maritime Surface Officer in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve.

Andrew’s most recent work with the Navy was as the navigation officer on board HMCS Nanaimo, a Canadian maritime coastal defence vessel, in the Pacific.

He is especially interested in the intersection of maritime law, national security and human rights. Read his posts.

Tina Hlimi – Kianyaga, Mt. Kenya region of Kenya

Tina is completing her second year in the BCL/LLB program at the Faculty of Law. Prior to attending McGill, Tina completed her Masters degree in Natural Resources management at the University of Waterloo.

Tina has an eclectic background in sustainable development, public health, indigenous rights and taxation. Her master’s thesis, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, focused on collecting and synthesizing data on indigenous traditional food systems and food security, as well as implementing nutritional health initiatives in remote, northern Ontario First Nations communities. She is presently undertaking research related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRCC) and the implications of residential schools on law, sovereignty and self-determination.

Tina is the current Book Review Editor of the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law & Policy (JSDLP) and the Health & Hazards Coordinator for the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL).

Jean-Marc Lacourcière – IHRDA, Banjul, The Gambia

Jean-Marc entamera cet automne sa quatrième et dernière année du programme BCL/LLB à la Faculté de droit. Montréalais d’origine, il a complété un Baccalauréat en Science Politique et en Philosophie à McGill avant d’amorcer ses études en droit.

Jean-Marc travelled to Kosovo after his first year of legal studies, where as an intern with a small NGO (Kosovo Law Centre) he conducted a research project on the jurisprudence of Kosovo’s Constitutional Court on human rights and minority rights. He worked as the coordinator of the Faculty’s High School Outreach Program, which organizes legal workshops for high school students in underprivileged communities, in his second year of study. He currently works for a Montreal law firm, Trudel & Johnston, specialized in public interest class action litigation. Read his posts.

Charlotte-Anne Malischewski – Calcutta Research Group (CRG) – Calcutta, India

Charlotte-Anne Malischewski is in her first year at McGill Law’s BCL/LLB program. She holds a Masters with distinction in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford and a BA (Hons) in International Studies from Earlham College. During her BA, Charlotte-Anne studied in Northern Ireland, which led to her honours thesis on the role of metanarratives in conflict transformation and participated in a research project on gender and African citizenship law. Charlotte-Anne’s masters thesis challenged fundamental assumptions of homogeneity in integration literature by analyzing the case of refugees and asylum seekers in Northern Ireland. Since beginning her studies at McGill, Charlotte-Anne has volunteered with a refugee lawyer through Pro Bono Students Canada and is now a part of the McGill chapter of the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project. Throughout her studies and travels, Charlotte-Anne has continued to play violin/fiddle, especially the traditional music of Newfoundland. Read her posts.

Lipi Mishra – LAPD and CEHURD, Kampala, Uganda

Lipi Mishra is a first year law student in the BCL/LLB program at McGill University. She recently completed her Master’s in Epidemiology at McGill University where she examined the cost-effectiveness of various diagnostic tools to detect tuberculosis (TB) in an HIV positive patient population in Lusaka, Zambia. She is currently involved in various research projects at the Institute for Health and Social Policy and has been acting as the executive senior Editor of the McGill Journal of Medicine since 2011.

Lipi’s research and academic interests lie in the intersection between health policy, law, and medical research and she is excited to further cultivate this interest with the dynamic organizations, LAPD and CEHURD in Kampala, Uganda. Read her posts.

Silvia Neagu – Equality Effect, Nairobi, Kenya

Silvia is entering her 3rd year at McGill Law. Before law school, she studied English and French Studies at York University’s Glendon College, while also concurrently completing a Bachelor of Education. She became interested in human rights during her community work as a student teacher in Toronto-area schools.

At the Faculty of Law, Silvia developed her knowledge of human rights law through Pro Bono work with the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) and volunteering with the High School Outreach Program on the Kahnawake reserve. In second year, Silvia volunteered at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and as an online editor for the McGill Journal of Law and Health. Read her posts.

David Nugent – Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services, Iqualuit

David Nugent is a 2nd year student in the LL.B/BCL program at McGill. He holds a master’s degree in playwriting (MFA) from Yale, and a bachelor’s degree in acting (BFA) from the University of Alberta. His research interests include criminal law and aboriginal law, and he is currently examining historical and contemporary issues surrounding female criminality as a research assistant at the Faculty of Law. David is also a volunteer at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill, a student run not-for-profit that provides free legal information and referral services to Quebec residents.

Prior to his studies at McGill, David worked as an associate at Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for the American not-for-profit theatre based in New York. He has also been a guest lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a writing instructor for disabled veterans at the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped in Belfast, ME.

David’s interest in aboriginal issues began in 2004 when he was the John D. & Rose H. Jackson Research Fellow at Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. His research centered on Norse and Inuit mythology, and the interaction between the two communities in 14th century Greenland. He is looking forward to serving and learning from the community in Iqaluit while applying his interests in aboriginal and criminal law at Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services this summer. Read his posts.

Alexandra Olshefsky – Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Winnipeg, Canada

Alexandra is in her 2nd year of law school. She holds a Specialization in Communications from Concordia University during which time her short documentary work on participatory media activism within homeless communities was picked up be the National Film Board of Canada’s Citizen Shift site. She also completed a graduate diploma in Community Economic Development.

With a professional background in crisis intervention, she has worked in a number of Montreal-area shelters specializing in homelessness, addiction, and mental health. Her research interests include criminal law, aboriginal law, and critical legal theory.

Currently, she is a coordinator for the McGill Law High School Outreach Program which aims to curb drop-out rates in lower-income communities by fostering a curiosity about the law while demystifying post-secondary and legal education.

She is honoured to have learned from and worked in solidarity alongside Indigenous populations in Chiapas, Kahnawake, and Whitehorse, and looks forward to working for the TRC (and playing rugby) this summer in Winnipeg. Read her posts.

Léa Pelletier-Marcotte – LICADHO, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Léa termine présentement sa première année à la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill. Avant d’entreprendre ses études en droit, elle a enseigné le droit international au Cégep André-Grasset et fut chargée de cours à l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Elle détient un baccalauréat en relations internationales et droit international (2009), ainsi qu’une maîtrise en politique internationale et droit international de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (2011).

Léa a toujours été grandement intéressée par les droits de la personne, le droit pénal international et le droit international humanitaire. C’est toutefois dans le cadre de sa maîtrise que Léa s’est découvert une passion pour les questions de justice transitionnelle et d’accès à la justice. Se basant sur le courant des Critical Legal Studies et les théories postcoloniales en droit international, elle se pencha sur l’efficacité du Tribunal pénal international implanté au Rwanda en 1994. Elle s’interrogea sur la capacité de ce régime de justice rétributive à promouvoir la réconciliation nationale et refléter le génocide tel que vécu par les Rwandais. Depuis lors, elle s’intéresse beaucoup au rôle des récits, aux vécus des témoins d’atrocités de masse afin de réfléchir à une justice plus adéquate et plus représentative de leurs expériences.

En ce sens, son stage à la LICADHO, au Cambodge, lui permettra de poursuivre ses recherches sur les réalités et les problématiques propres aux sociétés au sortir de conflits civils, notamment en ce qui concerne les droits de la personne. Lisez ses billets.

Laura Rhodes – Responsibility to Protect, One Earth Future Foundation, Colorado, USA

Laura is in her second year of McGill’s BCL/LLB program. She is a research associate with Professor Hoi Kong on a multi-year SSHRC-funded action research program focused on public consultation for urban planning. She also serves as an editor with the McGill Law Journal. Laura is currently co-authoring a Guidebook for Legal Instruments to Support Green Low-Emission and Climate-Resilient Development with the UNDP and UNEP.

Prior to her studies at McGill, Laura led award-winning municipal and regional planning processes in British Columbia, working with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Williams Lake and the Whistler Centre for Sustainability. In 2010, she joined a rural development project in Gashora, Rwanda led by Building Bridges with Rwanda, Developing World Connections, and Softchoice Internatonal, to support widows of the genocide in their harvest of the water hyacinth, an invasive species in the Great Lakes region, for the purpose of producing traditional woven baskets, bringing economic and community-building opportunities to the region.

Laura is an Associate of the Natural Step Canada, legal research consultant with the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and holds her Masters in Strategic Sustainable Development (MSSD) from Blekinge Institute in Sweden, as well as honours BA in political science and economics from McGill. Read her posts.

Angela Slater – LAWA-Ghana, Accra, Ghana

Selected for the Labor Law and Development internship, which is supported by LLDRL and the Faculty of Law, Angela will be entering her third year at McGill Law. She is originally from The Pas, Manitoba and completed her undergraduate degree in Politics at the University of Winnipeg in 2009. Her studies focused on both international and local development. She spent three years on the board of directors of the Spence Neighbourhood Association and spent a summer in Fort Portal, Uganda working for the Kabarole Research Centre. Before entering law school Angela worked for the Federal Department of Labour in the area of employment standards.

At McGill, Angela has been involved with PINAY, an organization dedicated to assisting Filipino live-in caregivers working in Quebec. She also works as a volunteer coordinator for Pro Bono Students Canada. Read her posts.

Marika Tremblay – Human Rights Watch, New York City

This year, Marika Tremblay will be completing her second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. Prior to attending law school, Marika worked as a policy officer for Oxfam in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel.

In the past, Marika also developed multiple media projects with Montreal community-based organizations. Her research interests include minority rights, media studies, public health and more generally political processes affecting marginalized groups.

Marika holds an MA in Political Theory from l’Université du Québec à Montréal and a BSc in Political Science and International Development Studies from McGill University.

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The 2012 Interns

Melissa Austen – ATENEO, Manila, Philippines

Melissa is completing her second year of McGill’s BCL/LLB program and is also minoring in Arabic. Prior to attending McGill, Melissa completed a BA in political science and history at the University of British Columbia. She worked as a community organizer in the British Columbia Lower Mainland on successful housing, public safety, wage, and safe drug-use campaigns. Melissa also assisted in Kenyan sexual health outreach programs while interning at a community-based organization for youth living with HIV/AIDS in the Kawangware slum.

Melissa initiated and directed McGill’s first Community Captured Exhibition. This project empowered underrepresented groups in Montreal to use photography to educate students about their unique social justice experiences. Most recently, Melissa worked as a research assistant at a Montreal public interest class action firm. Her research interests include criminal law, critical legal theory, drug policy, and legal pluralism in the Middle East. Read her posts.

Edward Béchard-Torres– CONGEH/CIAH, Yaoundé, Cameroon

Edward will be entering his fourth year of legal and economic studies at McGill University.

During the course of these studies, Edward has committed himself to a number of projects that combine his interests in property and human rights law, law and development, mixed legal systems and legal history. This includes work as a senior contributor for McGill’s Legal Frontiers Blog, as a student-at-law at a national corporate law firm, as a legal intern for the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations, and as a research assistant supporting projects on the history of patent law and the right to education in post-conflict settings.

With but a year remaining in his legal studies, he hopes to take these interests to the field as a legal intern for CONGEH, a Cameroonian grassroots organization specializing in the domains of international human rights and property law. Read his posts.

Roger Bill – Disability Rights International, Mexico City

Roger Bill comes from Newfoundland and Labrador, and will be entering his third year at McGill Law. Coming for a languages and linguistics background (BA Memorial University), he has been particularly involved in the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) since coming to McGill.

Roger participated in the immigration and refugee portfolio in his first year, and this past year was a general coordinatorof the HRWG.

Prior coming to McGill, Roger worked with the Omar Dengo Foundation in Costa Rica, focusing on education development through information and communication technologies in rural areas. Read his posts.

Will Colish – Human Rights Watch, New York City

Will Colish is a 3rd year student in the BCL/LLB program at McGill. He holds a BA (hons) in political science from the University of Victoria, and an M.A. in philosophy form the Université de Montréal.

This year he is editor-in-chief of the McGill Law Journal and previously served as senior editor with the Journal of Sustainable Development Law & Policy. His recent publications include “Between Expertise and Fairness: Considering Epistemic Proceduralism”, which appeared in the European Journal of Political Theory (2010), and “Doing Justice to Recognition”, which appeared in Les ateliers de l’éthique (2009).

He is currently working on a project that examines the relationship between private international law and international humanitarian law. Read his posts.

Chris Durrant – Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services, Iqualuit

Chris is entering his 3rd year of law school. He holds an honours degree in International Relations for Mount Allison University, where he served on the student government and as co-editor of the university’s newspaper. Representing the NDP in the New Brunswick riding of Beauséjour during the 2008 federal election, Chris met with the Elispogtog First Nation’s youth council, igniting an interest in aboriginal issues that has continued to grow.

Through Pro Bono Canada, Chris has been doing research for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and he attended the Commission’s National Atlantic Event.

Chris has also spent five summers working at summer camps for children with disabilities in British Colombia and near his home in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Read his posts.

Anne-Claire Gayet – Inter American Court, San José, Costa Rica

Anne-Claire Gayet is completing the BCL/LLB program at the Faculty of Law at McGill University. She holds a Masters degree in International Law (LLM) and a Masters degree in International Studies (M.sc) from Université de Montréal, as well as a Bachelor in History from Université Lyon 2 and Universidad de Sevilla (Spain). Her thesis dealt with the conformity of temporary farm workers programs in Quebec with article 46 of the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

She has both an academic and a professional background in the field of forced and temporary migration. She coordinated the Canada Research Chair in International Migration Law at Université de Montreal (2007-2008), and the Hans & Tamar Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law at McGill University (2009), both held by Professor François Crépeau. She participated in two courses on forced migration, one in India (Kolkata, 2009) and one in England (Oxford, 2007).

Elle a également effectué deux stages en organisations internationales, le premier au Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les Réfugiés à Montréal, en 2008, et le second au sein de la Division de la santé du Conseil de l’Europe à Strasbourg, en 2007. Elle est l’agente du domaine « Justice, Police et Sécurité » du Centre Métropolis du Québec – Immigration et Métropolis. Lisez ses billets.

Miatta Gorvie – League Action for Persons with Disabilities, Kampala, Uganda

Miatta Gorvie is completing her second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill. Her previous studies in International Development & Globalization inform her interest in the theory and practice of international human rights law. She has previously worked in immigration and aboriginal affairs policy for the federal government in Ottawa and as a summer law student for a specialized class-action law firm in Montreal.

At McGill, Miatta participated in the first annual McGill-Hebrew University summer program for human rights law in Jerusalem, is a co-chair of the Human Rights Working Group’s International Justice portfolio, and writes for the international law blog Legal Frontiers. Her main research interests are the discourse and practice of international human rights law and legal pluralism in the context of African political economy. Read her posts.

Molly Joeck – Refugee Law Project, Kampala, Uganda

Molly Joeck is a third-year student at the McGill Faculty of Law. After earning a BA in History with a minor in French Language and Literature from Boston University, she spent three and a half years living in Casablanca, Morocco working as an English teacher.

Her ensuing passion for languages and the Middle East has led her to do the coursework for a minor in the Arabic language in conjunction with her law degree, as well as to participate in a summer program in human rights law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

As a law student, Molly has become actively engaged in the field of refugee law and migrant rights. She has been involved with the Just Solutions Legal Clinic, which works with people with precarious immigration status, through both an internship and a recent research initiative on access to education for non-status migrant children. She has also worked to raise awareness of the importance of refugee and immigrant rights through her involvement with the Human Rights Working Group at the McGill Faculty of Law. Read her posts.

Celina Kilgallen-Asencio- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Winnipeg

Celina is currently completing the BCL/LLB program at the Faculty of Law at McGill University. She holds an Honours BA in Anthropology from Concordia University. Having a strong interest in human rights and civic empowerment, she previously worked with Canadian Crossroads International, the Johannesburg Social Housing Company, and the YWCA Montreal in various areas of community development.

Since starting her studies at the Faculty of Law, she has become involved with many social justice organizations including the McGill Legal Clinic, the Immigrant Workers’ Centre and the One Justice Project. She is also the executive editor of the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, and the coordinator of the Hans and Tamar Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law.

Jihyun Rosel Kim – Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Toronto, Canada

Jihyun Rosel Kim is entering her secondyear of legal studies at McGill. Previously, she completed a Master’s in English literature and cultural studies (where she earned a scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), examining how race and class interact with queerness on television. During her Master’s, she was a coordinator for the McGill Graduate Group for Feminist Scholarship and organized two symposia: “Gender(ed) Politics” and “Performing Feminism(s)”.

She is interested in the intersection of gender theory, critical race studies and health law. Currently, she is a volunteer researcher for Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations, a web editor for the McGill Journal of Law and Health, and an executive member of the Asia-Pacific Law Association of McGill. Read her posts.

Jeanne Mageau-Taylor – EQUITAS, Montreal, Canada

Jeanne est une étudiante de 20 ans qui termine sa 2e année de droit à McGill. Elle a préalablement complété un DEC en Sciences, lettres et arts au Cégep de l’Outaouais. Elle est grandement intéressée par les droits humains, surtout les droits des enfants.

À Gatineau, Jeanne travaillait comme intervenante auprès de jeunes présentant une déficience intellectuelle dans divers organismes communautaires, et comme éducatrice spécialisée dans les camps de jours. À Montréal, elle est bénévole au Centre de parrainage civique, à la Clinique d’information juridique de McGill et est également membre du programme High School Outreach.

Cette année, Jeanne a organisé le voyage annuel de la Société de droit international de McGill à New York, où le groupe a eu la chance de visiter Human Rights Watch. Elle a très hâte de travailler à l’organisation et au bon déroulement du Programme international de formation aux droits humains au sein d’Équitas. Lisez ses billets.

Shantha Priya Morley – Equality Effect, Nairobi, Kenya

Priya’s fields of interest include equality rights, international human rights law, art and activism, and public space. Priya earned a BA in International Relations and English Literature from the University of British Columbia. While at UBC, Priya worked as an Academic Peer Assistant at the Chapman Learning Commons. She volunteered as an elementary school literacy tutor through UBC’s Learning Exchange Education Program in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. She also worked as a community outreach intern for Simon Fraser University’s project “Canada’s World”, which engaged Canadians of all backgrounds in conversation about Canadian foreign policy. Through her undergraduate studies, community involvement, and international experiences, Priya became aware of both great social inequality and the potential for collaborative approaches to create change.

Since coming to McGill, Priya has continued to engage with her university and local communities. She participates in the McGill High School Outreach Program, interns at Equitas International Centre for Human Rights Education, and co-chairs the International Justice portfolio of the Human Rights Working Group. Priya hopes to contribute to the promotion and enforcement of human rights by learning from the Equality Effect’s creative and interdisciplinary pursuit of social justice. Read her posts.

Éloïse Ouellet-Décoste – LICADHO, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Éloïse Ouellet-Décoste is doing the BCL/LLB program at McGill University. Born in Montreal, Éloïse took part of a year-long exchange program in Brasil at the age of 16. Upon returning to Canada, she completed an international baccalaureate at the Lester B. Pearson United World College in Victoria, British Columbia. Éloïse also travelled to Bolivia where she worked for a year among an indigenous community, developing an environmental education course at the local schools and implementing a waste management system in the village where she lived.

Prior to studying law, Éloïse completed a BA in Political Science and Environment at McGill, during which she took part of the McGill Panama Field Studies Program, where she undertook a vulnerability assessment to climate change in a coastal aboriginal community.

Éloïse’s interest in law arose from her passion for environmental protection and aboriginal rights. In the summer breaks from her law studies, she travelled to Israel to take part of the « Regulating Internal Diversity » summer program in Human Rights organized jointly by the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Minerva Centre for Human Rights. Éloïse currently is a member of the CISDL Legal Research Group. She also volunteers at the legal information clinic of Project Genesis and with the McGill Highschool Outreach program at the Kahnawake Survival School. Read her posts.

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The 2011 Interns

Eden Alexander – Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Winnipeg (Provost’s Special Bursary)

Eden Alexander is a woman of mixed/Métis ancestry-Dene descent, currently pursuing her BCL/LLB at McGill. Committed to a dialogue of understanding between aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples, she comes to the Faculty with a background in land-based education and community development, a BA in International Development Studies, and a commitment to cross-cultural experiential learning. A certified hiking guide and first-aid instructor, Eden most recently has interned with traditional elders and cultural advisors in communities in Northern British Columbia and Alberta. She also has developed and implemented experiential learning programs to assist aboriginal youth and women understand themselves within Canadian society. Eden is a contributing member to the Faculty’s High School Outreach Program, is an active member of the Aboriginal Law Students’ Association at McGill, and is the founder of the Cross-Cultural Endeavours foundation, which provides awards to youth seeking to pursue innovative experiential undertakings to enrich themselves and their community.

Siena Anstis – LICADHO, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Lindsey Cameron Award)

Siena Anstis is a Swedish-Canadian law student (BCL/LLB McGill University 2013), freelance journalist and development communications consultant currently based in Montreal, Canada. She recently finished a consultancy with Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach (BOSCO) in Northern Uganda and an 8-month fellowship with the Aga Khan Foundation in Nairobi, Kenya. Recipient of the 2009 Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Journalism and Development Award, she has written about ICT4D, human rights and other social issues in Kenya, Uganda and Kosovo. She is also founder and advisor for Women of Kireka, a women’s jewelry business in the Kireka quarry in Kampala and Project Diaspora team member. Read her posts.

Karine Azoulay – Equitas, Montreal, Canada (Justice Maurice Fish Award)

Before starting her BCL/LLB at McGill’s Faculty of Law last year, Karine Azoulay worked as a research and legislative assistant at the Senate of Canada. While there, she worked for Senators Paul J. Massicotte and LGen Roméo Dallaire, monitoring Canada’s role in foreign assistance missions as well as our presence in the Arctic. She assisted in the creation of a project to engage Canadian youth in the fight to eradicate the use of child soldiers and also assisted the co-ordination of the Committee Against the Sexual Exploitation of Children. Karine has a BA in Political Science and Urban Systems. Her fields of interest include arctic sovereignty, land use and infrastructure and economic, social and cultural rights.

Luke Brown – Ateneo Human Rights Center, the Philippines (Novak-Weil Award)

Luke is completing his 3rd year at McGill Law. Prior to coming to McGill he worked with the Canadian organization Engineers Without Borders, spending two and half years in Ghana and Malawi. His work centred on access to water and sanitation and good governance. At McGill, Luke has been a founding member of Community Law, the Police and State Accountability Portfolio of the Human Rights Working Group at McGill, and he has acted three years running in the annual law student theatre production. Read his posts.

Emilie Conway – Human Rights Watch, New York, USA (Litvack Award)

Emilie Conway is entering the third year of undergraduate program at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She will be working as an intern at Human Rights Watch’s International International Justice Program for the summer of 2011. Emilie holds a B.A. in international relations and international law, and an LLM in public international law, both from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM).

At McGill, Emilie has been involved as a volunteer with the McGill Legal Information Clinic and executive contributor of Legal Frontiers, McGill’s student blog on international law. Prior to that, she was also editor-in-chief of the Quebec Journal of International Law and coordinator of UQÀM’s Groupe de recherche en droit international et comparé de la consommation. Her research interests include transitional justice, aboriginal law, women’s rights and consumer protection in the World Trade Organization.

Keiran Gibbs – Centre for Legal & Social Studies, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Rathlyn Award)

Keiran will be entering her third year of Law at McGill and holds a bachelor degree in Peace and Conflict Studies. She has done variety of research and work experience in Latin America. In Cuba, she researched the impact of decentralization and organic agriculture on poverty; in Mexico she examined women’s citizenship rights in the North American context, and in Guatemala she worked as an intern with Lawyers Without Borders. In Canada, Keiran also worked as a community organizer with international ad migrant workers.

As a law student, Keiran is an active member of several student organizations including Rethinking Intellectual Property Policy, Lawyers Without Borders Canada, Latin American Law Students Association and also wrote biweekly articles for Legal Frontiers, an international law blog. Read her posts.

Sasha Hart – Equality Effect, Kenya (Novak-Weil Award)

Sasha Hart is a 3rd year BCL/LLB student with a strong interest in the areas of international human rights, gender equity, and poverty alleviation. After earning a B.A. in Political Science/International Affairs, she worked with orphaned and vulnerable youth in Zambia. During her first year of law school, she completed a research fellowship with the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy, which culminated in her travelling to Cameroon to conduct a case study on the empowerment strategies employed by a rural women’s group.

Locally, she has been actively engaged with women’s rights issues and community initiatives as a student advocate with PINAY (a Filipino domestic workers’ organization), as the 2010-2011 President of the McGill Law Women’s Caucus, and as a regular volunteer at a community soup kitchen. Last summer, she worked as the summer law student at a prominent labour and human rights firm, Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP. Currently a student clerk at the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal, she looks forward to furthering her practical human rights advocacy skills through the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism’s human rights internship program this summer. She will head to Kenya to work with the Equality Effect on a test case litigation initiative aimed at addressing systemic sexual violence against girls. Read her posts.

Joannie Jacob – Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services, Iqaluit (Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik bursary)

Hailing from the Abitibi region, Joannie Jacob is a 3rd year law student who is passionate about criminal law and access to justice. Joannie already holds a bachelor degree in International Studies and Modern Languages from the University of Ottawa. She is thrilled by the prospect of discovering Nunavut, learning Inuktitut, and discovering the Inuit culture.

Since her arrival at McGill Law, Joannie has gotten involved in many activities. She was the Director of Community Services at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill this year, where she also had been volunteering since summer 2009. She is an active member of the Women’s Caucus, assuming the position of VP-Internal since Fall 2009. She was a Pro Bono volunteer for two years (2008-2010) at the Centre communautaire des gais et lesbiennes de Montreal, providing legal information to their clients. Given the limited opportunities to get involved in criminal law at McGill, she started a new student group, Criminal Law McGill, which aims to serve as a platform and community hub for students who are interested in criminal law. Joannie has also been trying to get as much exposure to court proceedings as possible, attending hearings and organizing court visits to the Municipal Court and the Cour du Québec.

Frédérique Lissoir – CONGEH, Yaoundé, Cameroon (Lord Reading Society Award)

Étudiante de 21 ans entrant en 3e année, Frédérique a toujours été passionnée par les droits de la personne. Dès son jeune âge, à l’école secondaire, elle a entrepris la rédaction d’une biographie romancée sur la condition des immigrants dans le monde. Ce goût pour la justice et l’ouverture sur le monde s’est perpétué au collégial où elle a entrepris un voyage de coopération internationale à Kissane, au Sénégal. La création et la gestion du Camp éducatif l’Envol visant à répondre aux besoins criants des enfants immigrants et défavorisés du quartier Côte-des-Neiges fait office d’occupation estivale pour cette dernière. Frédérique espère que son stage au sein de la CONGEH/CIAH, Yaoundé, Cameroun, lui permettra d’explorer davantage les réseaux des ONG internationales, mais aussi de travailler sur des polémiques diverses rattachées aux droits des femmes et aux droits des minorités.

Nelly Marcoux – Refugee Law Project, Kampala, Uganda (Novak-Weil Award)

Nelly Marcoux is currently completing her third year of law school. She previously obtained a Bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies, and has had the honor to work with, learn from and be inspired by various community groups and human rights organizations in Montreal, Nunavik and Guatemala in recent years. Her main areas of interest include restorative justice, transitional justice, popular democracy and issues relating to community well-being and self-determination. Read her posts.

Cassandra Porter – Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Research Office, Vancouver, Canada

Cassandra is entering her third year of Law at McGill. She holds an Honours degree in Political Science and a Bachelors degree in Liberal Arts. Her current areas of interest include aboriginal, sustainable development, energy and food law. In her pursuit of experiential learning, Cassandra has been taught and inspired by her work in Indonesia, Uganda, France and across Canada. Most recently, she worked as an analyst for the land claim negotiations currently underway in the Northwest Territories.

At the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Cassandra will be exploring the legal dimensions of reconciliation, as well as her own role in this process. In her spare time, she can be found travelling, playing outside, or working on a theatre production.

Jean-Paul Saucier Calderón – Inter-American Court of Human Rights, San José, Costa Rica (Novak-Weil Award)

Diplômé en science politique et philosophie de l’Université d’Ottawa, Jean-Paul entame présentement sa troisième année d’études en droit. Passionné par les questions juridiques et politiques qui touchent l’Amérique latine, Jean-Paul y a entrepris quelques expéditions indépendantes (Haïti, Panama et Vénézuela) dans le but d’y recueillir les informations nécessaires à la production d’articles journalistiques. Au cours de ses études à Ottawa, il a fondé et dirigé en tant que rédacteur en chef, la revue étudiante de science politique Le Délibérant.

Jean-Paul a aussi nourri sa passion pour le sous-continent en effectuant des recherches académiques. Il a notamment étudié en profondeur les diverses conceptions populaires de la justice articulées sous l’autoritarisme des années 1990, au Pérou. Jean-Paul étudie présentement les problématiques liées à la prescription de l’action pénale au regard de la jurisprudence de la Cour interaméricaine des droits de l’homme. Il entretient un intérêt particulier pour le pluralisme juridique en relation avec les processus de formation et de consolidation de l’État et avec le droit privé.

Bill Shipley – Amnesty International and Canadian Centre for International Justice, Ottawa (Justice Maurice Fish Award)

Bill Shipley is a Northwestern University graduate from the North-side neighborhood of West Rogers Park in Chicago, IL. He has worked as a community organizer and union representative in primarily Spanish-speaking communities and workplaces. He is a founding Steering Committee and/or Board member of the SEIU International Latino Caucus, an independent Latino caucus within the Service Employees International Union; the Alianza Institute, a community organizing institute; and an independent staff union composed of himself and his fellow union employees, to which he was elected President in its first contested election for that office, eventually representing union representatives in seven states and eleven cities throughout the Midwest. He is currently entering his 2nd year at McGill University’s Faculty of Law.

Rémi Weiss – HIV AIDS Legal Network, Toronto (Litvack Award)

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The 2010 Interns

Leila Beheshti – HIV AIDS Legal Network, Toronto (Novak-Weil Award)

Leila Beheshti is spending the summer working at the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network in Toronto, after having completed her second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill’s Faculty of Law. She completed her MA at York University in the field of Gender and International Relations in 2008, focusing her research on HIV/AIDS related policies.

Prior to that, she completed a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Science at McMaster University. She has previously worked for the provincial government, researching the transit/transportation sector, and is an enthusiastic cyclist. Her interests include criminal law, constitutional law, international relations and gender theories.

She is excited to be combining her interests in HIV/AIDS advocacy with law and policy during her internship.

Chiara Fish – Legal Aid Centre Nunavut, Iqaluit (Novak-Weil Award)

Chiara Fish is entering her third year of law school at McGill. She received a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, summa cum laude, from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Her research interests are in the areas of criminal law, aboriginal law, women’s rights, international law and international relations.

She volunteers at the Native Women’s Shelter in Montreal and is eager to learn more about First Nations communities. Read her posts.

Naomi Greckol-Herlich – Human Rights Watch, New York (Novak-Weil Award)

Naomi Greckol-Herlich will be spending the summer working for Human Rights Watch, International Criminal Justice Division in New York City after completing her second year of the BCL/LLB program at McGill.

She has previously researched issues relating to the media coverage of the Rwandan genocide, the phenomena of rape as a weapon of war, and film and history.

She has also worked on issues of non-profit management strategy, and played semi-professional baseball in Boston and Tokyo and for the Canadian National Team. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Smith College, and a Master’s degree in World History from Northeastern University.

Elena Haba – Centre for Legal and Social Studies, Buenos Aires (Rathlyn Award)

Elena Haba is currently completing her BCL/LLB , as her first undergraduate degree, at the McGill Faculty of Law.

She will be volunteering this summer at CELS a social and legal research center in Buenos Aires, where she will be working on targeted litigation for individuals with mental disabilities caused by the political repression. She has previously volunteered in Ecuador as a social worker.

She is interested in topics such as corruption, organized crime, and victim participation in international trials.

Caylee Hong – Amnesty International, Ottawa (Justice Morris Fish Award)

Caylee Hong is entering her second year at McGill Law. Prior to attending McGill Caylee completed a B.A. (Hons.) in law and anthropology at Utrecht University and an LL.M. at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

Her research interests include Islamic jurisprudence, migration studies and feminist philosophy.

In 2008-2009 Caylee interned with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, in Nairobi where she researched sustainable urbanization and helped develop the entity’s Gender Equality Action Plan. Read her posts.

Anja Kortenaar – International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Arusha (Lindsey Cameron Award)

Anja Kortenaar will be an intern at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda during the summer of 2010. There she will be working in Trial Chamber III under Judges Sir Dennis C.M. Byron, Gberdao Gustave Kam, and Vagn Joensen on Karemera et al.

Anja has completed her second year of a BCL/LLB degree at McGill. She lived in Zimbabwe in 1999-2000 and in South Africa in 2006. She was an intern at Human Rights Watch in New York in 2007. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Toronto.

Ludovic Langlois-Therien – CONGEH, Yaoundé (Novak-Weil Award)

Depuis son arrivée à la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill, Ludovic s’est distingué par sa volonté de concrétiser ses intérêts pour les droits de la personne et le droit international. Outre son bénévolat à la Clinique d’information juridique de McGill, il a suivi des cours de droit chinois à la China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing. Il a été rédacteur associé au sein de deux revues juridiques, à la Revue de droit internationale du Québec et à la Revue internationale de droit et politique du développement durable de McGill.

Par ailleurs, l’implication de Ludovic ne se limite pas au droit. Il a conçu les décors pour la pièce « Goodnight Desdemona » de la troupe de théâtre de l’Actus Reus. Parallèlement à ses études de droit, Ludovic complète une mineure en histoire l’art à la Faculté des arts de l’Université McGill. Il aimerait bien avoir plus de temps pour dessiner. Lisez ses billets.

Christopher Maughan – Ateneo Centre, Manila (Novak-Weil Award)

Christopher Maughan is a student entering third year at the McGill Faculty of Law. Prior to starting law school, Chris completed a B.A. in English Literature at Queen’s University and a Master of Journalism degree at Carleton University. During a brief career as a newspaper reporter, Chris often covered human rights and social justice issues. He spent last summer as an intern at the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, working to protect free speech, prisoners’ rights, privacy rights, and other constitutional freedoms.

Chris has been actively involved in a number of human-rights-related initiatives at the Faculty of Law, including this year’s McGill Symposium on Counterterrorism and Civil Liberties and the McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy. Read his posts.

Kelly McMillan – Refugee Law Project, Kampala (Litvack Award)

Kelly is entering her fourth year of legal studies at McGill University. She is originally from Prince Edward Island and completed a Bachelor’s in International Development at the University of Ottawa in 2006.

Kelly has previously worked in the field of community legal services both in Cameroon and Montreal, and is excited to be combining her interests in law and development this summer through an internship with the Refugee Law Project in Kampala, Uganda. Read her posts.

Alexandra Pace – Equitas, Montreal (Justice Morris Fish Award)

Lexi is a third year law student at McGill. From Saskatchewan, Lexi holds a Bachelor of Arts, also from McGill, in Psychology with a minor in English Literature. Lexi is interested in public policy generally, as well as criminal, administrative and Aboriginal law. Lexi has also been a coordinator for Disability and the Law, a club in the Faculty of Law, for three years, and has helped to raise awareness about disability by organising events and examining university policies.

As an education intern at Equitas in Montreal, Lexi hopes to learn more about legal education and its role in building civil society, both in Canada and abroad.

Perri Ravon – Inter American Court, San Jose (Nancy Park Memorial Prize)

Perri Ravon is in her 3rd year at McGill Law. Before law school, she studied philosophy and history at McGill and at the Universidad Catolica de Argentina in Buenos Aires. Perri worked as Education Assistant for Equitas’s 2007 International Human Rights Training Program, and was the 2008 Frankel Fellow at Human Rights First, where she worked with asylum seekers in New York City. In the winter term of 2009, she volunteered for Mexican human rights organization Consorcio, giving trainings on the Inter-American Human Rights System to school teachers in the region of Oaxaca.

Since May 2009, she has been working as a consultant in Rights and Democracy’s Economic and Social Rights Program on a human rights impact assessment project in Ecuador. At the Inter American Court, she hopes to work, among other things, on cases addressing indigenous rights. Read her posts.

Patrick Reynaud – LICADHO, Phnom Penh (Lord Reading Award)

Patrick Reynaud, BCL/LLB Candidate (McGill), BA Hons Psychology (Concordia), DUECODEV (Université Marc Bloch). Patrick has just completed his second year of legal studies at McGill. With a background in developmental psychology and multicultural conflict resolution, he has a particular interest in procedural mechanisms promoting financial transparency and accountability in governance structures. He is also interested in observing and discovering the most impactful means through which various levels of lawmaking and the development or modification of regulations can impact human behaviour, notably in terms of enhancing respect for human rights and promoting sustainable development.

He conceives of lawmaking as a complex and necessarily flexible and goal-oriented endeavour, ultimately guided by culturally driven values that give meaning to the letter of the law. Awareness of values allows for adaptation when faced with inevitable unplanned impacts on the social fabric. Read his posts.