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New York, NY (August 27, 2012): The Leitner Center for International Law and Justice is pleased to announce the selection of the 2012-2013 Crowley Scholars in International Human Rights. The Scholars, all second-year law students at Fordham Law School, will work with faculty, fellows, and staff at the Leitner Center to design and implement an international human rights fact-finding project. This year, the following eight students were selected: Mickey Lai Alterman, Lucy Benz-Rogers, Daniel Davies, David James Harvey, Troy McNamara, Meghan Newcomer, Matt Solomon, and Paula Sternberg. Short bios of each student can be found below.
Unique among American law schools, the Crowley Program provides Fordham Law School students with the opportunity to participate in international human rights fieldwork and investigation and prepares them for a career in human rights. Scholars enroll in an intensive academic program in human rights theory, practice, and advocacy and, together with the Crowley Fellow, help to plan every stage of the study, and participate in implementing the study through on-the-ground fieldwork.
In 2011-2012, the Crowley Project examined pre-trial detention in Bolivia. The 2010-2011 Crowley Project Report was just released in Cambodia. The new Crowley Scholars will work with 2012-2013 Crowley Fellow Aminta Ossom to design the project, the focus of which will be announced in October 2013. Fieldwork will take place in Spring 2013.
For more information on the Crowley Program, see: https://leitnercenter.org/programs/CPIHR/.
2012-2013 Crowley Scholars Bios
Mickey Lai Alterman, who attended the NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies and Stuyvesant High School, graduated from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. Following eighteen months of work as a litigation paralegal at Proskauer Rose, Mickey moved to China to study Chinese, and also took the opportunity to travel throughout the country. At Fordham, Mickey worked with the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) and the Asia Law Society to increase the awareness of Asia-related issues at Fordham. In summer 2012, he worked as a legal intern at the New York County District Attorney’s office, where he familiarized himself with the inner workings of New York’s criminal justice system. Mickey is a staff member of the Fordham Law Review, a teaching assistant to Professor Frederic Neustadt, and a research assistant to Professor Joseph Landau.
Lucy Benz-Rogers graduated with honors from University of California, Los Angeles in 2010 with a degree in International Development, and minors in Spanish and Political Science. While at UCLA she studied political science in Costa Rica and India, interned with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and was an editor at the Daily Bruin newspaper. She also provided direct assistance to pro se litigants at the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation. At Fordham, Lucy is a Stein Scholar for Public Interest, a board member of the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Children’s Law Project, a member of the Immigration Advocacy Project, and a staff member on the Fordham Environmental Law Review. In summer 2012, Lucy was a Leitner Summer Fellow at Make the Road New York, helping clients in removal proceedings.
Daniel Davies graduated from Vassar College in 2011, with a B.A. in Political Science and a correlate in Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy. At Vassar, Daniel was actively involved in the African Students Union – he grew up in Africa and Asia – and interned at the Office of International Services. While working with Maryknoll Lay Missioners at the International Detention Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Daniel developed an interest in refugee law. In summer 2012, Daniel was a Leitner Summer Fellow at the Resettlement Legal Aid Project (RLAP) in Cairo, Egypt. While at RLAP, he helped refugees from Eritrea, Iraq, Somalia, and Sudan apply for resettlement in a safe third country.
David James Harvey graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2009 with a dual degree in Political Science and Writing. David worked as an editor for the award winning UCSD Guardian and wrote a series of columns about human rights and culture while studying abroad in Cairo, Egypt. He also fundraised for Mongol Mercy Corp while driving 10,000 miles from London to Mongolia in a 1989 Nissan Micra. After graduating, David traveled and worked for local newspapers in California and New York. At Fordham, David is an elected council representative for the Stein Scholars, a board member of the Immigration Advocacy Project, the FLS National Lawyers Guild, and the Muslim Law Student Association. He also co-chartered the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project and helped organize the first conference for the Public Interest Collective, a group of public interest students from several New York City region law schools.
Troy McNamara graduated with honors from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in Sociology. While in Vermont, Troy interned at the Vermont Workers’ Center, focusing on the Healthcare is a Human Right campaign. Troy studied abroad in Suva, Fiji, inspiring her honors thesis that provided a socio-historical, cross-national comparison of the United States and Fiji as each state transitioned from a system of servitude to a free labor society. At Fordham, Troy traveled twice to Haiti, first with H.E.L.O., and later with the Fordham Disaster Relief Network (DRN). Troy is a board member of DRN, a staff member of the Fordham Urban Law Journal, a member of the Dispute Resolution Society, and trains advocates for the Fordham Unemployment Action Center. In summer 2012, she was a Leitner Summer Fellow at Advocacy Forum in Kathmandu, Nepal, where she drafted a report on sexual violence during the armed conflict in Nepal.
Meghan Newcomer graduated with honors from the University of Delaware in 2010 in International Relations and Spanish. Meghan was a member of Amnesty International, Alpha Phi Omega (a co-ed community service fraternity), and also served as treasurer of Tutoring for Tomorrow, an organization tutoring children at the Boys and Girls club of Delaware. Meghan studied abroad in Panama and Spain, and after graduation, she backpacked through Central and South America. In summer 2012, Meghan was a Leitner Summer Fellow at the Anti-Trafficking Program at Safe Horizon, where she assisted victims of human trafficking with immigration relief matters and counseled victims on available civil remedies. Meghan is a staff member of the Fordham Law Review, a member of the Moot Court Board, captain of the Moot Court Criminal Procedure Competition Team, and a board member of Law Students Against Trafficking. She is also active in student groups, including Fordham Law Women and the Unemployment Action Center.
Matt Solomon graduated with honors from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 2007, concentrating in International Studies and Journalism. He studied abroad at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he conducted research on state-run media and public health initiatives. After graduation Matt worked for Human Rights in China, where he developed an interest in the intersection of new technology, freedom of speech, and human rights. In summer 2012, Matt interned with the New York State Division of Human Rights’ Housing Investigation Unit, investigating and conciliating housing and employment discrimination claims. Matt is a staff member of the International Law Journal and a board member of the Asia Law Society. He is also working with Stan Starygin, Senior Legal Expert at the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea and consultant to the ECCC, on two papers for publication this year.
Paula Sternberg graduated in 2006 from the University of Virginia with a degree in Latin American Studies. Before attending law school, Paula worked for five years in the field of economic development, most recently focusing on domestic microfinance in Washington, D.C. As a Microfinance Loan Officer, Paula underwrote loans for small businesses starting or expanding their operations in the D.C. metro area. During her 1L year at Fordham, Paula volunteered as a Legal Outreach Debate Coach and visited a small sugarcane community in the Dominican Republic through the student group Universal Justice. In summer 2012, Paula worked at Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugee Services focusing on asylum and immigrant juvenile visas. Paula is a staff member of the Urban Law Journal, a Stein Scholar, and a member of Latin American Law Student Association.
