2023 Racial and Social Justice Fellows

Education: B.A., Princeton University

Before Columbia Law: Manager of government relations at Blue Star Families

At Columbia Law: Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service fellow, Columbia Law American Constitution Society president, Columbia Journal of Law & Social Problems editor in chief, and research assistant for Professor Bernard Harcourt and Lecturer in Law George Kendall

What motivated you to apply to be a Racial and Social Justice fellow? 

Capital punishment is an inherently inequitable, systemically racist, and fundamentally immoral practice. In pursuing its abolition, I hope to contribute to a radical transformation of our criminal legal system. That is why I am preparing for a career in civil rights advocacy—and specifically, capital defense. 

What type of racial/social justice work are you interested in pursuing?

Much of my independent work at Columbia Law—including my note, pro bono project, externship, and research assistance—has been dedicated to capital defense and death penalty abolition. During my 1L summer, I interned with the Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Public Defenders in Nashville, Tennessee. This year, I had the extraordinary privilege of working with Professor Bernard Harcourt and Lecturer in Law George Kendall on two capital cases. These experiences have motivated me to continue to pursue capital defense and death penalty abolition after law school. Ultimately, I hope to work toward the transformation of our inhumane criminal legal system as a public policy advocate.

How do you think the fellowship will help you achieve your career goals?

While I plan on taking full advantage of the Law School’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), carrying [law school] debt entails a massive amount of financial insecurity. Receiving a Racial and Social Justice Fellowship goes a long way toward easing some of the debt-related anxieties that come with the salary of a public interest attorney.

Education: B.A., University of Cincinnati

Before Columbia Law: Law clerk at Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein

At Columbia Law: Staffer for A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual, research assistant to Professor Jeffrey A. Fagan, Columbia Journal of Gender and Law staffer, and law clerk for Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York

What motivated you to apply to be a Racial and Social Justice fellow? 

Public interest work, of course, comes with financial struggles. I applied for this fellowship to make it possible for me to pursue a career supporting poor people affected by the criminal legal system. 

What type of racial/social justice work are you interested in pursuing?

I am interested in public defense and civil rights litigation; I hope to be able to be part of both worlds throughout my career. In particular, I am interested in challenging police misconduct and advocating for the rights of incarcerated individuals. As we know all too well, people of color are particularly targeted by and vulnerable to the carceral system and face higher rates of police contact and incarceration. I see my role as an enforcer of the highest law in the land—the Constitution. I hope to return to the Midwest after graduation to work with affected communities and help meet unmet needs.

How do you think the fellowship will help you achieve your career goals?

Debt can make it incredibly difficult to sustain a career serving indigent clients. This scholarship will be vital to allowing me to sustain a public interest career.

Education: B.A., Harvard College

Before Columbia Law: Lead youth organizer at the HANA Center

At Columbia Law: Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service fellow, staffer for A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual, organizing committee member for the Restorative Justice Collective, and member of the National Lawyers Guild

What motivated you to apply to be a Racial and Social Justice fellow? 

My plan is to be a lawyer who works in service of a larger liberation movement committed to abolition, anti-capitalism, and actualizing full citizenship for all people.

What type of racial/social justice work are you interested in pursuing?

After law school, I hope to practice either as a public defender or civil defender who works to defend people from the collateral consequences of a criminal charge. But whatever shape my career takes, I feel called to do direct representation, where I can work in solidarity with people as partners. Along the way, I hope to help create infrastructures of care in lieu of police and prisons.

How do you think the fellowship will help you achieve your career goals?

As a low-income student committed to pursuing a public interest career immediately after law school, this fellowship’s meaningful debt reduction allows me to focus less of my time on the financial stress and more time on finding my place within the movement. I feel deeply grateful and humbled to receive this fellowship. It is my hope that all students will be able to benefit from similar debt reduction (and ultimately debt abolition) so that anyone can pursue justice work.

Education: B.A., Rice University

Before Columbia Law: White House intern, Michigan-based community organizer for the Sierra Club, and Rice University student body president

At Columbia Law: Student Senate president, Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service fellow, Columbia Law School Democrats president, and law clerk for United Auto Workers and One Fair Wage

What motivated you to apply to be a Racial and Social Justice fellow? 

I remember writing in my law school personal statement that “lawyers, at their best, can serve as architects who design just systems by addressing foundational inequities before disasters strike. Looking ahead, I hope to learn how to couple effective legal strategies with community organizing, political advocacy, and coalition-building efforts to create more sustainable change.” While my work as a community organizer in Michigan solidified my interest and commitment to advancing racial, social, and economic justice, my time in law school has given me a better vision of what this work will look like as an attorney. This fellowship is an opportunity to develop an even stronger foundation as I take on a career focused on securing racial equality, social justice, and economic dignity for communities like Detroit. 

What type of racial/social justice work are you interested in pursuing?

While my postgrad plans are not fully solidified, I know who I want to serve and why. The issues that will define the fight for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice over the coming decades will be solved by lawyers and advocates in cities like Detroit and in states like Michigan. I’m interested in returning to Michigan to pursue a legal career rooted in public service and in a way that allows me to address the most urgent issues of our state: access to clean air and water, access to good jobs with fair wages, and access to representative and responsive democratic institutions that make reform across issue areas possible. 

How do you think the fellowship will help you achieve your career goals?

The need for legal principles, advocacy, and scholarship to be rooted in principles of justice is acute. My time at Columbia Law has only strengthened my belief that lawyers have a unique role to play in shaping a more just world. This fellowship, along with continued support from the Max Berger ’71 Public Interest/Public Service fellowship, will give me the professional, financial, and social support that I need to move forward full speed ahead with my public interest career. I’m incredibly honored to be selected. 

Education: B.A., University of California, Berkeley

Before Columbia Law: JusticeCorps member at AmeriCorps Bay Area Legal Aid and intern for Washington & Associates

At Columbia Law: Articles editor for the Columbia Journal of Race and Law, outreach director of A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual, co-president of the Prison Healthcare Initiative, co-president of Criminal Justice Action Network, and extern with the Bronx Defenders

What motivated you to apply to be a Racial and Social Justice fellow? 

I am committed to racial and social justice work. This work was never merely a fascination with the law but a question of survival for my community. I am informed by Black feminist thought, and since high school, I learned from Black and Brown organizers who positioned my politics. Due to my early involvement in community organizing, I witnessed brutality, pain, loss, and trauma that shaped how I navigate racial and social justice work. However, I found my love for life in these moments of tragedy. I am honored to learn from incredible Black and Brown activists and lawyers who dedicate their lives to liberation. I will continue to engage in racial and social justice work, and the financial support this fellowship provides is necessary for me to sustain it.

What type of racial/social justice work are you interested in pursuing?

I will pursue criminal defense, specifically public defense and capital defense. I am most interested in capital defense and hope to be a part of the movement to abolish the death penalty in the United States. 

How do you think the fellowship will help you achieve your career goals?

This fellowship means so much to me because it acknowledges my commitment to racial and social justice work. Community organizing can often be all-consuming, so being recognized for the labor I have done is incredibly meaningful and helps make this work sustainable. This fellowship provides the financial support to sustain the racial and social justice work I want to pursue.