Trinity College

Jeannie Guzman ‘10

Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict

New York, NY

Given her longstanding interest in children’s rights, Jeannie Guzman’s work this summer for Watchlist was a natural fit—Watchlist works to promote the human rights of children under armed conflict. Most fascinating to the Trinity junior was the opportunity to observe numerous meetings at the United Nations. For example, Jeannie attended a UN Security Council debate on children and armed conflict with over 60 country representatives. Seeing UN members in action and conducting individual research on the United Nations brought to life for Jeannie the issues she had previously studied in her courses. The Trinity junior worked on a set of far-ranging issues at Watchlist, from exploring armed conflict in Burma to evaluating reports on Sudan. More generally, she contributed to projects relating to humanitarian law, children’s rights, and international organizations, while learning the ins-and-outs of producing a human rights report. The “highly rewarding and educational” experience sharpened Jeannie’s research and networking skills. For her, moreover, it was “a privilege to work with a dynamic team that incorporated me into their daily lives as a human rights activist.” Interning at Watchlist has influenced Jeannie’s decision to major in Human Rights Studies at Trinity and eventually work for a humanitarian organization.

Justin Hall ‘09

Lawyers without Borders

Hartford, CT

As an Anthropology major, and soon-to-be Legal Studies minor, Justin (JJ) Hall brought a fresh perspective to his internship at Lawyers without Borders (LWOB). Much of his summer was spent writing and researching, working on several legal projects, including judicial exchanges with Liberia and legal training in Kenya—JJ met Liberia’s Chief Justice; and he successfully found and applied for two grants to support LWOB’s project in Kenya. He also oversaw this year’s first issue of the LWOB newsletter, seeing it through publication and distribution; helped edit reports on Ethiopia and electoral research; and he created an e-Newsletter for the organization. Additionally, the Trinity senior played a leadership role at LWOB, rising to the position of lead summer intern in an office of mostly law-school interns. Even after the internship formally ended, JJ continues to spearhead a fundraising project for LWOB, linked to the Hartford Marathon in October. The internship allowed JJ to work efficiently in a fast-paced office setting, developing his leadership skills and making valuable contacts. All told, JJ describes his experience at LWOB as an “amazing opportunity,” where he researched foreign laws and international human rights standards, acquiring “a unique view of how law is implemented around the world.” He will continue to intern with LWOB during the upcoming academic year.

Elizabeth Kennedy ‘09

Amnesty International,

Human Rights Education Program

New York, NY

Though she has interned at various human rights organizations around the world—in Chile, Spain, and Hartford—Elizabeth Kennedy’s summer experience at Amnesty International’s New York office exceeded her expectations. The Trinity senior, who is pursuing a major in American Studies and a minor in Human Rights, worked for Amnesty’s Education Program on numerous campaigns, including a project commissioned by NYPD to incorporate transgender rights into its training manual. While at Amnesty, Elizabeth also edited a curriculum guide for a powerful documentary, War Dance, a film chronicling how music shapes young people’s lives in war-torn Uganda. Elizabeth enjoyed working alongside committed human rights defenders, as well as a range of artists and filmmakers; visiting a local school, where she saw the concrete effects of Amnesty’s projects; and attending panels at the United Nations and elsewhere. The internship further allowed Elizabeth to connect two of her passions—human rights and hip-hop—meeting with key figures who use hip-hop as a tool for social empowerment. “Although I’ve worked with various other human rights non-profit organizations in the past,” Elizabeth says, “this experience has been like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I was truly a part of the Amnesty team. I also had the unique chance to see the fruits of the program’s labor in affecting real, grassroots change by meeting with local educators. I have always believed in the role of education to empower individuals and ignite change. This experience has and will continue to open doors for me far beyond the three months of the fellowship.”

Laura Nelson ‘09

Witness

Brooklyn, NY

Witness is Trinity’s newest human rights internship site, and Laura Nelson—a Senior Public Policy and Law major—was Trinity’s first fellow at the award-winning organization. Witness does cutting-edge human rights work, using film and media to document rights abuses around the world. For Laura, the internship was a rare experience—working in an energetic environment with dedicated and talented staff—that has left her passionate about human rights work. She was able to help organize a music festival, research human rights organizations and violations worldwide, and work on an important outreach project: along with two other interns, Laura created a template showcasing research on over a dozen human rights topics and relevant organizations, a large and rewarding undertaking. Her experience has been so gratifying that Laura plans to continue supporting the work of Witness, including helping at their annual benefit gala this fall. Among other things, Laura learned this summer what goes into maintaining a human rights organization. “It can be emotionally draining; and there are tons of legal issues surrounding cultural differences, language gaps, funding, etc. I have definitely stepped outside of my comfort zone with this experience, seeing things that horrify me. Though I’ve always been a curious student, hopefully now I can also be a catalyst for change.”

Lesley O’Neal ‘08

Amnesty International

Washington, D.C.

Working at a major human rights organization like Amnesty International was an eye-opening experience for Lesley O’Neal, a Trinity Senior majoring in Public Policy and Law. Assigned to Amnesty’s Darfur Campaign, Lesley was able to participate in various strategy meetings and project initiatives, joining a dynamic team of committed activists. In particular, Lesley conducted extensive research on arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court and peacekeeping deployments in Africa. Working in Washington, D.C., Lesley was fortunate to attend human rights hearings and NGO briefings at the State Department, including one by the US Ambassador to Sudan, as well as to conduct research at the Library of Congress. In one of her projects, Lesley’s challenge was to make the psychological traumas faced by Darfuri refugees (i.e., torture, rape, and war) accessible to a lay audience. In another task, she updated facts about Darfur for the Amnesty-USA website. According to Lesley, her summer at Amnesty fundamentally complemented her studies at Trinity, allowing her to experience first hand the day-to-day realities of working to improve human rights conditions.

Jenna Smith ‘11

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center

New Haven, CT

As a sophomore, considering a double major in Human Rights Studies and English, Jenna Smith found working at the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC) “incredibly valuable.” Jenna was responsible for, among other things, researching the 1988 Iran Prison Massacre, writing a report where she provided background information and preliminary legal analysis, then imputing her findings into a legal software program known as CaseMap. IHRDC is an organization dedicated to collecting systematic data on rights abuses in Iran and paving the way for legal prosecution. Jenna contributed to future human rights cases by carefully processing and classifying documents, inputting her findings into a massive database. As she conducted legal research, Jenna enjoyed interacting with staff and board members as well as visiting experts. She also welcomed the opportunity, early in her college career, to directly observe how a human rights organization works. Jenna concluded that successful human rights organizations like IHRDC balance passion with realism. In addition to acquiring in-depth knowledge of one country, the Trinity sophomore’s work this summer may help establish accountability for human rights crimes.

Rebecca Tompkins ‘11

Physicians for Human Rights

Boston, MA

A second-year student and Presidential Scholar at Trinity, who is considering a Human Rights minor, Rebecca Tompkins worked as an intern at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)—a leading human rights organization. In addition to supporting PHR staff, Rebecca worked on projects that she describes as “important and fascinating.” For example, she conducted research on Iranian doctors who have been detained, the voting records of U.S. senators, media coverage of HIV/AIDS, and existing resources on Darfur. The PHR staff also came to rely on her technological skills during Board meetings. Complementing her on-site work, Rebecca was able to attend relevant brown-bag seminars in Boston, including at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. As one of the only first-year students selected for the summer fellowship, Rebecca’s experience this summer left her with an unparalleled appreciation for how a major human rights organization functions. It was a unique opportunity to put her longstanding interest in human rights and social justice to work.