This summer, the International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) hosted three Harvard Law School interns. We recently spoke with intern Laura Clark JD’20, a 3L graduating in December, who started work as a student in the Clinic in Spring 2020 and returned for the summer. During law school, she also interned with the UNHCR in Turkey, the World Bank Group in Belgium, and the UNODC. She has also volunteered for the Mexican Permanent Mission to the UN, the International Law Journal, and PILAC. Learn more about Laura’s summer in the Clinic below.
Human Rights Program: What projects did you work on this summer?
Laura Clark: This summer I worked on the release of a human rights report on post-election violence perpetrated by the interim government in Bolivia, research on gender-based violence and the Arms Trade Treaty, and strategic research working to get the Republic of the Marshall Islands to join the Treaty to Prevent Nuclear Weapons.
HRP: What was challenging about interning remotely?
LC: Interning remotely was challenging mostly because it was hard to find a balance between work and rest. My supervisors would split responsibility for assigning me work, so one would assign me work for one week, and then another would assign for the next week.
HRP: How do you think this internship will influence your law school career and beyond?
LC: I have always been planning on doing public interest work, and had been in the Clinic the previous year and will be returning this fall. It hasn’t changed my plans, but rather strengthened my commitment to public interest and human rights work.
HRP: Outside of interning in the Clinic, how did you spend your time this summer?
LC: I also had an internship working with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime doing research on migrant smuggling and human trafficking, so pretty much all I did this summer was work. In my free time, I cooked and baked a lot and went for lots of long walks and bike rides.