Amalia Anderson (Mansfield Fellow)

Working Group on Indigenous Populations

Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

Geneva, Switzerland

 

Amalia Anderson was born in Guatemala, raised in Minnesota, did her undergraduate work at Macalaster College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and will graduate this May from Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul. She also has been working on the Indigenous Peoples’ Project at the Human Rights Center; most recently she helped coordinate the National Youth Summit on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights hosted by Amnesty International and the Human Rights Center. Amalia will use her fellowship grant to facilitate the representation of the Indigenous Youth and Human Rights Development Program at the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva, working with the International Indian Treaty Council-Indigenous Trading Company. She will continue working with the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Geneva. Upon her return, Amalia hopes to be able to “assist Indigenous youth in learning how to link their local issues with international struggles and victories and empower them to see that they are members of a community that is both timeless and global".

 

Katherine Anderson
U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection Human Rights

Geneva, Switzerland

Katherine Anderson is a resident of Minneapolis and recent graduate of the University of Minnesota, majoring in International Development with focus on Human Rights and Political Science. Katherine plans on doing her fellowship interning with Professor Barbara Frey who is the United States Alternate Member at the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Her work will include researching human rights topics, taking notes, and drafting speeches. Upon her return, Katherine intends to continue her research of human rights topics and hopes to attend law school or graduate school this fall.

 

David Campana
Centro de Derechos Laborales at the Resource Center of the Americas

Minneapolis, MN

David Campana is a citizen of Peru currently enrolled in a Masters in Public Policy Program at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. David’s fellowship placement will be at the Centro de Derechos Laborales (Immigrant Worker’s Rights Center) at the Resource Center of the Americas. His work will support immigrant workers from Latin America by training, advising, and organizing immigrant workers and by documenting working conditions and international human and labor rights violations in Peru and other Latin American countries. David plans to use his fellowship experience to enhance a project sponsored by Culture Corps called “Globalization and Human Rights in Latin America�?. He has been developing this project and coursework for University of Minnesota students as well as for the Chicano/Latino community in Minnesota. It was “designed to enhance the capability of the students as a way to understand and integrate their role as citizens in an increasingly diverse community.

 

Christina Clusiau (Laura Musser Fellow)
Maryknoll Missions

Chiangmai, Thailand

Christina Clusiau is a senior at St. Benedict’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota. She will work with Maryknoll Missions in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and aid refugees that have fled the oppressive military government in Burma. She will teach English to young Shan Novice Monks and child refugees. Christina’s work has been influenced by learning about trafficking of women and children for the purpose of forced prostitution. She has focused on Burmese girls in forced prostitution fleeing to Thailand to find jobs. The Maryknoll volunteers help refugees by providing safe housing, education, and medical assistance for victims of torture, burned villages, and land mines. She hopes to work with immigrants from Thailand and Burma when they immigrate to the United States and to pursue a graduate program focusing on international relations and community development.

 

Peter Ehresmann (Laura Musser Fellow)
Chemchemi Ya Ukweli
Nairobi, Kenya

Peter Ehresmann is a senior at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He plans to conduct his fellowship at Chemchemi Ya Ukweli (CYU), which means “Wellspring of Truth.�? The focus of his work deals with reducing violence in Kenya through a constitutional review process; provide training in “Active Non-Violence,�? and promote dialogue between the Muslim and Christian communities. CYU was founded in 1997 in response to the growing violence surrounding free elections and changes in power in Kenya. A relationship has been built between the communities of St. Cloud and Kenya. Peter hopes to be able to support this relationship and learn and write about the impact the Kenyan government has on women’s rights, political voice, and land allocation issues and conflict.

Sonia Farber
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
Minneapolis, MN

Sonia Farber grew up in Minnesota and lives there while not attending Claremont McKenna College. She will intern with Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights in Minneapolis. She will dedicate her time to the Women’s Program that works to improve women’s lives using international human rights standards to advocate women’s rights in the United States and throughout the world. Sonia’s principal project will be to work with others to create a website for the promotion of women’s rights that provides information and help for women’s rights advocates in Eastern and Central Europe. Particularly, this project will examine the rights of women in the workforce, as well as sexual crimes committed against women. Upon completion of her fellowship, Sonia will share her experience in various ways, one of which is to write an article that will be published in the Claremont McKenna College newsletter so that students who are interested in activist work may have a clearer idea of what it entails.

 

Jennifer Fischer (Mansfield Fellow)
Midwest Center of Justice

Evanston, Illinois

Jennifer Fischer grew up in the Twin Cities, graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and has been living and working abroad for several years, most recently in Africa. Currently, Jennifer is in her first year at the University of Minnesota Law School. Her fellowship will take place in Chicago at the Midwest Center for Justice (MCJ) where she will conduct legal research, draft appellate briefs, visit and interview clients, interview witnesses, observe arguments in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, and participate in death penalty conferences. MCJ is a small public interest organization that represents death row prisoners from the Midwest. Jennifer would like to fight against the use of the death penalty and hopes to be able to bring her experience to the University of Minnesota law students through speaking engagements and her work with Amnesty International.

 

Eric Gottwald
Oxfam

Oxford, United Kingdom

 

Eric Gottwald was born and raised in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and conducted his undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Currently he is attending Law School at the University of Minnesota. Eric’s fellowship will be with Oxfam Great Britain in Oxford, U.K. He will be doing research to support an upcoming campaign that focuses on the issue of women workers facing employment with no contract, union protection, health care coverage, maternity leave, or benefits for legal rights. Upon his return, Eric hopes to work with organizations to explore the impact of trade policies on undocumented or seasonal workers in Minnesota. He also plans to work with the International Law Association to host speakers on international trade, poverty, and human rights in the global economy.

 

Joel Grostephan
Chiapas Media Project

Chiapas, Mexico

 

Joel Grostephan grew up in the Twin Cities and recently graduated from the University of Minnesota. His fellowship project will take place in Chiapas at the Chiapas Media Project (CMP). The mission of CMP is to train Indigenous people to film and document their own stories of human rights abuses. The goal is to build an economic infrastructure, to turn over the CMP project to the Indigenous communities, and to create film documentations to distribute to NGOs as an educational tool of the different struggles within Chiapas. Thus far, CMP has trained over 200 people and their films have been shown around the world. Joel hopes to pursue working with grassroots organizations as a human rights activist and organizer as well as pursue a Masters in Latin American studies. He also hopes to be able to bring some films back to show in Minnesota communities.

 

Thomas Hauth (Laura Musser Fellow)
El Centro de la Nina Trabajadora

Quito, Ecuador

 

Thomas Hauth from the Twin Cities, is presently attending St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and will graduate this spring. Thomas will spend his fellowship at a medical clinic, El Centro de la Nina Trabajadora, in Quito, Ecuador. As a pre-med and Spanish major, Thomas will be able to assist at the clinic, teach health classes, and most specifically work with the street children to provide care and health services. He has spent time working within the Latino community here in the Twin Cities and in St. Cloud. Most recently, Thomas has taught computer skills to Latino senior citizens. He plans on attending medical school and continuing to work on human rights issues as they relate to medical care, especially within the Latino community.

 

Teresa Jacobs
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
Minneapolis, MN

 

Teresa Jacobs is in a Masters program at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. She did her undergraduate work at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She will work at the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights to conduct a project to explore the need for health services that address the concerns of battered immigrant and refugee women in the Twin Cities. This initiative will entail interviewing informants and focus groups, reviewing case files and medical information, and drafting the reports. Upon completion of her fellowship, Teresa plans to continue her work in the human rights field focusing on maternal and children’s health issues.

 

Andrea Jesperson
Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
Minneapolis, MN

 

Andrea Jesperson grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, and is currently attending Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter, Minnesota. She will spend her summer working as an intern at the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless in Minneapolis. She will organize meetings with the Minnesota Coalition constituents and Senators Mark Dayton and Norm Coleman. She will advocate for the passage of homelessness prevention measures, living wage legislation, affordable housing, and medical health coverage. Ultimately, she would like to work with the Native American population living in North Dakota, which has the lowest per capita income of any population group in the United States, due to severe unemployment and entrenched poverty.

 

Mahmooda Khaliq (Medtronic Fellow)
MN International Health Volunteers
Minnesota, MN
Uganda

Mahmooda Khaliq was born in Pakistan and emigrated to the United States with her family. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota before studying at John Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. Mahmooda will be working with the Minnesota International Health Volunteers staff in Minneapolis as well as in Uganda. She is hoping to establish a women’s health and human rights center in rural areas of Uganda. The Center will focus on health and human rights, reproductive and sexual health, gender health, children’s health and HIV/AIDS, and its impact on discrimination, stigmatization, and denial. Upon her return, Mamooda will make recommendations to Minnesota International Health Volunteers.

 

Leslie King (Medtronic Fellow)
L’Hôpital Albert Schweitzer
Deschapelles, Haiti

Leslie King is a student at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. She plans to work with L’Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, Haiti, this summer. Leslie’s project focuses on an institutional evaluation of health equity at L’Hôpital Albert Schweitzer. Previous data and routinely collected health information will be utilized along with key individual interviews, to identify any disparities in health status or access according to gender, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. She plans on working in the public health sector upon graduation.

 

Nicole Kubista
South African Constitutional Court
Braamfontein, South Africa

Nicole Kubista is from Roseville, Minnesota, and is currently finishing her J.D. at the University of Minnesota Law School. Nicole will spend the year working full-time as a volunteer law clerk at the South African Constitutional Court in Braamfontein, South Africa. The court is the highest court in South Africa. As a clerk, her responsibilities will include reading and analyzing briefs and other documents submitted by parties and preparing memoranda for the Court’s rulings. Nicole plans to work as a public defender upon her return and eventually work as a policy maker at the state or federal level.

 

Tricia Lund
Cultural Diversity Resources
Fargo, North Dakota

Tricia Lund is from Fargo, North Dakota, and is presently a student at Minnesota State University in Moorhead, Minnesota. Tricia’s fellowship work will take her home to Fargo where she will work with Cultural Diversity Resources (CDR). The organization represents different ethnic groups and works with the challenges and celebrates the opportunities of added diversity in the community. CDR’s programs include diversity training, community education, community interpreter services, Cultural Diversity Awareness Week, and publication of a newsletter. Tricia will work with the local coalitions.

 

Bridget Marks
U.N. Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights
Geneva, Switzerland

Bridget Marks is a student at the University of Minnesota as well as the Web Coordinator and Research Assistant of the University of Minnesota Human Rights Library. Bridget will work as an intern to Professor David Weissbrodt at the U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Geneva Switzerland. The Sub-Commission is engaged in norm development and studies related to such issues as the rights of non-citizens, the human rights obligations of transnational corporations, reservations to human rights treaties, and terrorism and human rights. Bridget will also participate in the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. Upon her return, Bridget will complete her undergraduate work in European Intellectual History at the University of Minnesota and will continue working on the University of Minnesota Human Rights Library.

 

Edward Peterson
Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance
Quezon City, Philippines

Edward Peterson is a human rights lawyer from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. He was born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He has worked for the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe on land claims research as well as for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe doing legal service. Currently he works on the Human Rights Task Force at Anishinaabe Center in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, a non-profit cultural and service organization. Edward’s fellowship will be working with Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance in the Philippines. His responsibilities will include handling the legal casework of human rights violations particularly associated with involuntary disappearances. Edward hopes to be able to connect his experiences in Quezon, Philippines, to his work at the Anishinaabe Centre.

 

S. Kristjan Selvig
Center for Victims of Torture
Minneapolis, MN

S. Kristjan Selvig is a graduate of Macalaster College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has been volunteering at the Center For Victims of Torture (CVT) in Minneapolis and will continue her work there full-time as a Human Rights Fellow. The CVT is an independent non-governmental organization that addresses the effects of torture on individuals and their communities and works to prevent torture condoned by governments. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health with an emphasis on international and community health.

 

Allison Sharkey
Sin Fronteras (Without Borders)
Colonia Roma, Mexico

Allison Sharkey grew up in Iowa and is a graduate of Carlton College in Northfield, Minnesota. She currently is an organizer for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Allison plans on doing her fellowship at Sin Fronteras, which provides legal defense to refugees and immigrants in Mexico and throughout North and Central America. She will conduct human rights workshops for immigrants and refugees, help secure legal status for individuals, and strengthen networks throughout North and Central American advocacy organizations. She hopes to learn about defending and promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to help her become a more effective organizer.

 

Gabriel Solomon
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights

Minneapolis, MN

Gabriel Solomon came to the United States from Sudan at the age of 14. He currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and will conduct his fellowship at Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He will be teaching members of the community about his experiences, as well as the experiences of other immigrant and refugee youth. His goal is to teach people from the Upper Midwest about such human rights issues. He plans to develop public speaking and educational videos for teachers, community members, lawyers, and professionals about human rights in Southern Sudan.

 

Milo Sybrant
Somali Family Care Network

Washington, D.C.

Milo Sybrant will finish his undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota this spring. His fellowship experience will take him to Washington, D.C. to work with the Somali Family Care Network (SFCN). The SFCN aims to empower Somali refugees and immigrants by supporting development, while also enhancing the capacity of community-based Somali organizations in the United States. Some of his responsibilities will include organizing, attending and reporting on refugee resettlement meetings and conferences, conducting needs assessment surveys, and participating in other activities to strengthen the resources and leadership development of Somali communities in Minnesota and throughout the United States.

 

Aaron Van Alstine
Paz y Esperanza

Lima, Peru

Aaron Van Alstine is a Refugee Resettlement Immigration Specialist at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. He will conduct his fellowship in Lima, Peru at Paz y Esperanza (Peace and Hope). Paz y Esperanza assists victims of human rights abuses by contributing to and overseeing the legal prosecution of violations. He will assist by gathering evidence, taking witness’ testimony, and advocating on behalf of victims’ families. Aaron will encourage state authorities to exhume the bodies of human rights victims in Peru, will provide educational workshops, and will inform victims’ families about the legal process. Upon his return, he plans to encourage church and community leaders to provide materials, technical assistance, and financial support to Paz y Esperanza so they can continue their work in Lima.

 

Jonas Walker
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees

Washington, D.C.

Jonas Walker, a University of Minnesota Law School student, is currently finishing his second year. He completed his undergraduate work at Earlham College. Jonas has accepted a position for the summer with the Legal Section of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Washington D.C. He will work with people seeking asylum or with their attorneys, analyzing proposed legislation and regulations affecting asylum seekers. He is expecting to help drafting advisory opinions regarding international law and attending Congressional hearings.

 

Lynn Wartchow (Mansfield Fellow)
Relatives for Justice

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Lynn Wartchow completed her undergraduate work in Northfield, Minnesota, at Carleton College. She will conduct her fellowship at Relatives for Justice, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Relatives for Justice provides support services for the victims and family members of human rights abuses in Belfast and greater Northern Ireland particularly in border communities. Some of her responsibilities will include contacting victims, assisting in the preparation of reports and witness statements, conducting legal advocacy of victim’s rights, and other programming support. She intends to further practice human rights advocacy after law school, potentially with international organizations or with the US Foreign Service.

 

Amelia Wilson
League of Human Rights

Paris, France

Amelia Wilson was born in Rochester, Minnesota, though she grew up in Winona, Minnesota. Currently, Amelia lives in Minneapolis where she attends Law School at the University of Minnesota. She will intern in the legal department at the League of Human Rights in Paris, France. She will work directly for Mr. Farid Messaoudi and assist in all legal tasks, including drafting memos, researching legal problems, and accompanying him in defending cases involving the rights of non-citizens in France. Upon her return she will be working on an article relating to the confidentiality of testimony about torture and its availability to the International Criminal Court and other human rights tribunals.