Students Pursue Summer Human Rights Internships

Notre Dame Law School’s Center for Civil and Human Rights (CCHR) has awarded internship funding to three J.D. students, thanks to the generosity of the CCHR’s Advisory Committee. The internship program, now in its second year, makes it financially possible for J.D. students to seek unpaid human rights-related summer internships. “We intend these experiences to deepen the students’ commitment to and understanding of human rights,” says CCHR Assistant Director Sean O’Brien. “We also hope the internships will add depth to their resumes and allow them to find employment in the field of human rights upon graduation.”

Willa Lin (1L) will work in Beijing, China with International Bridges to Justice, an NGO that collaborates with government and civil society actors to develop and implement the fair trial rights of the criminally accused.

Rachel Odio (1L) will work in San Jose, Costa Rica as a legal intern with the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL). Her work will involve documentation of human rights violations in Central America and preparation of cases for litigation before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which is also located in San Jose.

John Paul Foley (2L) will engage in human rights education and promotion with the Congregation of the Holy Cross in Bangladesh. Blessed Father Moreau first sent Holy Cross missionaries to the area in 1853 and the Bengal Bouts boxing tournament has raised money for the mission since the 1920’s.