Summer Internship Fellow Program

Our Summer Internship Fellow Program grew out of a desire to help students find internship placements at premier human rights organizations and respected international initiatives. We have proudly developed dedicated placements for UConn human rights students and facilitate the recruitment and selection process. After a rigorous application process, students selected to participate in each of these opportunities are granted substantial financial support. We currently offer the following placements:

  • Amnesty International USA
  • Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism
  • Business and Human Rights Resource Center
  • Croatian Mediation Association
  • The Education Project
  • IRIS-Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services

2023 Summer Internship Fellows

Emma Harvison, The Education Project

Emma Harvison, The Education Project

Emma (she/her) is a rising Senior in the Honors Program studying Human Rights & Political Science with minors in Spanish & Latin American Studies. Every day Emma strives to learn how to be a strong advocate, amplifying the voices of communities impacted by human rights abuses. On campus, she is actively involved in advocacy with She's The First, an organization that fights gender equality through education, and along with her peers, reintroducing a UConn Chapter of Amnesty International to campus. Following her time at UConn, she plans to attend law school to focus on human rights laws and continue to work on advancing human rights internationally.

This placement was made possible through the generous support of the Open Society Foundation Award.

Sophie Lemire, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Sophie Lemire, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

My name is Sophie (she/her). I am a rising senior in the honors program studying Economics and Human Rights with a minor in International Studies and Social Responsibility and Impact in Business. A large portion of my studies focus on corporate social responsibility and the intersection of business and human rights. I spent the 2022-2023 academic year studying at Amsterdam University College developing my work in an international framework. On-campus and off-campus I dedicate my time to activism and volunteering. After graduation, Sophie plans on attending law school and hopes to work in international law.

This placement was made possible through the generous support of the Eversource Chair.

Natalie Goncalves, IRIS-Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services

Natalie Goncalves, IRIS-Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services

My name is Natalie Goncalves and I am a rising senior studying human rights and sociology and minoring in philosophy. I am looking forward to attending law school and going into Immigration law.

This placement was made possible through the generous support of the Open Society Foundation Award.

Ashten Vassar, Anti-Defamation League

Ashten Vassar, Anti-Defamation League

I have always been passionate about Human Rights, Disability justice, harm reduction, and community care. I am strongly committed to trauma-informed and decolonial praxis that serves the interest of the people. During my time at UConn, I have been involved with student organizing, student labor, restorative justice initiatives, research projects and health promotion. I am planning on pursuing graduate school after my senior year and hope to continue working in archival research and community health.

This placement was made possible through the generous support of the Open Society Foundation Award.

Alexandra Kapell, Amnesty International

Alexandra Kapell, Amnesty International

My name is Alexandra Kapell and I am a senior studying human rights and political science. I have always had a strong interest in human rights law and developed a passion for activism in school and community service projects. At UConn, I conduct research on gender-based violence, volunteer at the Women's Center, am a teacher's assistant, and work as a barista at the UConn cafes. In the future I plan to attend law school and hope to work with vulnerable communities of women who have survived domestic abuse.

This placement was made possible through the generous support of the Open Society Foundation Award.

Karissa Guaman, Social Accountability International

Karissa Guaman, Social Accountability International

Karissa (she/her) is a rising senior studying Economics and Human Rights with a minor in Social Responsibility and Impact in Business. Through her education here at UCONN, she has fostered and grown her passion for social justice and service, specifically around labor and immigration rights. Karissa is currently involved with CT Students for a Dream advocating for the undocumented communities in Connecticut. Within Human Rights, her interests include immigrant rights as well as corporate social responsibility.

This placement was made possible through the generous support of the Open Society Foundation Award.

Eligibility & Award Details

The eligibility and award details vary for each dedicated placement. Please visit our Summer Internship Placements page for more information.

The ability to expand our support of these placements is due in part to funding from the Dr. Charles and Irma Jacobson Fund for Human Rights, the Eversource Energy Chair in Business Ethics, the Victor Schachter ’64 Rule of Law Award, the Thomas J. Dodd Center, and the Marsha Lilien Gladstein Fund for Education in Human Rights.

How to Apply

Apply via Microsoft Forms

The application requires the following materials:

  1. Personal Statement: In 750 words or less, tell the committee about: (1) your experience with the study and practice of human rights; (2) your main topics of interest in the human rights field; (3) why you have chosen to apply to the HRI Internship Fellow Program. Topics you may address include coursework, previous volunteer or employment experiences, extracurricular activities, personal experiences, or involvement in advocacy and activism efforts.
  2. Skills Statement: In 750 words or less, please tell the committee the specific skills, talents, experiences, and perspectives that make you well suited to interning at a human rights organization. Areas of reflection for this prompt could be: the values that guide your approach to advocacy, specialized skillsets that would help an organization advance its goals (i.e., data collection, research, intercultural communication, verbal and written language skills, managing social media campaigns, political organizing, canvassing, etc.), and personal experiences which give you unique insight into specific human rights issues.
  3. Unofficial Transcript: Please enclose an unofficial copy of your University of Connecticut academic transcript.
  4. Letter of Recommendation: Please have one letter of recommendation written on your behalf from an instructor or mentor who has known you for at least one year. Your recommender should submit your letter electronically via: https://forms.office.com/r/uNhcjRgDsi.
  5. Resume: Please attach a resume that includes current and previous employment including military experience, part‐time work, and summer or other temporary positions. Your resume should also list your involvement in extracurricular activities such as organizations, clubs, sports, and campaigns while attending UConn. It can also include your skills in relevant areas like foreign language fluency or technical skills like proficiency with Microsoft Office, SPSS, etc.

Applications will be reviewed by the Fellowship Committee. The Fellowship Committee will also conduct interviews with finalists. Once finalists have been selected, the candidate files will be sent to the internship placement sites for review and approval. The internship organization makes the final decision to extend an offer.

To maximize the likelihood of being selected as a Human Rights Internship Fellow, we recommend that all applicants schedule an appointment with the Center for Career Development to have their resumes and cover letters critiqued.

For questions or inquiries, please email Alyssa Webb at alyssa.webb@uconn.edu, or call (860) 486‐8739.

Application Deadline for 2025: February 14