Michigan Law provided me with the building blocks I needed to get a meaningful job after graduation.
During my first year, my advisor at the Office of Career Planning (OCP) reoriented me during a particularly stressful time, reminding me of the good work I wanted to do post-graduation. That summer, I had an internship at California Rural Legal Assistance, providing legal aid to US migrant workers. This experience added focus to my goals as a law student.
During my 2L year, I participated in Michigan Law’s semester-long externship in Geneva, working with the International Service for Human Rights. After that experience, I wanted to continue my work abroad. Through faculty connections, the OCP connected me with an internship as a Law Development Fellow for Legal Aid of Cambodia. These experiences really shaped my knowledge of international human rights norms and laws.
In my final year at Michigan Law, I participated in the Human Trafficking Clinic, where my partner and I represented a survivor of human trafficking in court. We won our case and it was so satisfying, just a really good feeling.
Through my 3L networking, I connected with a Michigan Law alum who was incredibly helpful to me in finding a position at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Fiji to the United Nations in Geneva, where I served on the human rights team. I was able to pursue this opportunity thanks to Michigan Law’s Bates Overseas Fellowship, which funded my work for eight months after graduation.
At the end of my fellowship, in January 2020, the ambassador of Fiji offered me employment on the human rights team, which I gladly accepted.
The following year, in January 2021, the ambassador was elected to be president of the UN Human Rights Council, and she brought me to work with her as a special advisor.
Now, I work in Washington, DC, at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
I stay motivated in my international law career by keeping human rights at the center of my work and surrounding myself with seasoned professionals who are really great to learn from and to work with.
