2024 Student Fellows
Explore where our fellows will spend their summers!
AJ Kurdi
PhD, Department of Ethnic Studies, UC Berkeley
Háttér Society (Hungary)
AJ Kurdi will map the Roma LGBTQI community in Hungary, document community building efforts, and raise the positive visibility of this population through publications and events. He will also draft a policy paper and strategic plan outlining the measures needed to improve the situation of Romani LGBTQI people living under Hungary’s increasingly authoritarian government.
Ash Cornejo
PhD, Psychological and Medical Anthropology Program, UC San Diego
Al Otro Lado (U.S. / Mexico Border)
Ash Cornejo will work on both sides of the southern border with Al Otro Lado, the primary nonprofit representing parents who were separated from their children during the immigration enforcement policy known as “Zero Tolerance.” This enforcement policy forcibly separated families, criminalizing all migrants who crossed the border without permission, including those seeking asylum. She will write a white paper on Al Otro Lado’s family reunification efforts.
Cara Schulte
PhD, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley
Anonymous Organization (Bangladesh)
Cara Schulte is working with her partner organization to study the impacts of occupational heat exposure in Bangladesh, where temperature extremes are already having severe health, human rights, and economic impacts across the labor force. Her research will be used to inform a data-backed policy brief, written in collaboration with the London School of Economics Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, with recommendations for governments and employers in rapidly warming megacities to better protect workers from the consequences of climate change.
Ifsha Zehra
PhD, Communication and Critical Gender Studies Programs, UC San Diego
Anonymous Organization
Ifsha will work with a women’s organization to research everyday photography practices of women. Her project will examine how these photographs might enhance our understanding of gender, politics, and culture.
Jenae Carpenter
PhD, Department of Sociology, UC Berkeley
Northern Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency (Australia)
Jenae will spend the summer in Alice Springs, a small town in the Australian Central Desert, working with the Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency providing data and policy advocacy while completing her ongoing research on the logics of mass incarceration in the Australian context.
Joy Omeiza
PhD, Interdisciplinary Humanities Program, UC Merced
International Rescue Committee (California)
Joy will work with the International Rescue Committee to teach vocational English to refugees resettled in the Central Valley, and collaborate with case workers and staff to provide pathways to employment and empowerment. Her fieldwork will allow practical insights and firsthand experience in addressing the challenges faced by refugees in the United States that will shape her ongoing work to address the urgent and complex challenges of global humanitarian crises.
Jesus Alejandro Garcia
PhD, School of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley
Fundacion Somos Yuma (Colombia)
Alejo’s work will interrogate the dams, protected areas, and carbon-offset projects around Colombia’s Upper Magdalena River that are steadily undermining the livelihoods of local communities under the guise of climate advocacy. He will partner with Fundación Somos Yuma, a peasant-led organization of territory and water defenders, to discuss, document, report, and raise awareness about the damaging effects of such forms of greenwashing.
Marion Apio
MJ, Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley
Media Challenge Initiative (Uganda)
Marion will work with the Media Challenge Initiative to produce a documentary on the state of press freedom and safety in Uganda, shining a light on the human rights challenges confronted by Ugandan journalists and the indispensable role of journalism in a democratic society. She will conduct interviews with journalists, expose the untold yet uncounted harsh realities of violence that both young and veteran journalists continue to face in Uganda especially during elections.
Naureen Mirza-George
MPH, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley
Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations-USA (Jordan)
Naureen’s research will focus on the refugee community of East Amman, Jordan, to examine the prevalence and types of gender-based violence (GBV) faced by women refugees. She aims to determine which specific interventions are accepted and desired by this population, analyze the currently available programs, and identify gaps in existing care. Naureen hopes to use this research to raise awareness of GBV amongst the refugee population and advocate for comprehensive services for impacted women.
Sabreen Tuku
Undergraduate, Department of Political Science, UC Berkeley
Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) (Ethiopia)
Sabreen’s work focuses on digital rights such as equitable access of the internet, and access to information, in Ethiopia, where regional conflicts and suppression of speech have led to government internet shutdowns and information blackouts. She will collaborate with CARD’s Digital Rights team researching internet shutdowns, user data safety and privacy.
Shavar Martin
Undergraduate, African American Studies Program, UC Berkeley
Maji Safi Group (Tanzania)
Shavar will address the need for clean water and environmental protection in Tanzania by building and maintaining water and sanitation projects, including Arborloo (composting) toilets, and by developing and analyzing local water usage surveys.
Yvette Vargas
MS, School of Information, UC Berkeley
Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (California)
Yvette will work with the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice to address the environmental and health impacts of warehouse construction and trucking in the Inland Empire in southern California. They will create a database to serve the local community and facilitate environmental justice.