Vrinda Vinayak, LL.M. ’25
Advocating for the LGBTQ Rights in Tunisia
Working with the IHRC (and on this project in particular) is incredibly important to me since my work here has engaged the substantive, procedural and geographic areas of my interest. I have conducted extensive factual and legal research around LGBTQ+ rights protection, liaised with the partner organization, strategized about how best to advance the interests of the grassroots community, and planned interviews with experts. Conducting research in the context of different human rights systems – domestic, regional as well as international (and drawing comparisons) – has given me exactly the kind of holistic perspective I was hoping for.
Julia Kepczynska ’26
Accountability in Ukraine: Beyond Traditional Legal Options
My semester in the IHRC thus far has been formative and exceeded every expectation I had. I feel particularly lucky to have had the opportunity to work specifically on the Ukraine project, where I’ve been introduced to a team of outstanding students and our Clinician, while working on an issue area that deeply aligns with my interests and professional goals.
Coming into and throughout my time at HLS, I have been developing my interest in learning and working in the intersection of international law, armed conflict, and human rights. Coupled with my previous professional experiences, the Clinic has shown me new and innovative paths to realize accountability for mass violations and international crimes. Working on the Ukraine team, this was further reinforced, as I’ve been able to not only engage with complex, substantive legal material that excites me, but also contribute to accountability efforts in a region and conflict that has particular significance for me, given my personal background. In the long term, I aim to continue building on the skills I’ve developed this semester, such as legal research, writing, and my understanding of international criminal law and human rights, to pursue a career focused on using litigation to address state, individual, and corporate accountability for human rights violations.
I want to reiterate how much being a student at the Clinic has meant to me. I am eternally grateful for all the knowledge, skills, relationships, and opportunities I’ve had in such a short time which I am sure will have an immeasurable impact on my career. Put simply, being at the IHRC, I have, for the first time, felt as though I’ve found my corner at HLS of like-minded peers.
Jasper Johnston ’26
Aid Accountability: Securing Remedies for Roma Communities
I’ve loved my first semester in the Clinic and hope to stay on as a clinical student for as long as I’m able, so that I can continue to develop my skills as a human rights lawyer and so that I can bring forward my experience to further advance our Kosovo work.
I’ve greatly enjoyed working with the Kosovo team this semester as the work combines my passion for human rights with my existing negotiation skillset and burgeoning legal toolkit. Our work is fundamentally one large, integrated negotiation, building a coalition and strategically sequencing our activities to persuade the UN to deliver reparations for the victims of lead poisoning.
Through this work, I’ve gained experience applying negotiation/influence lenses to our human rights advocacy and drafting interview guides and a community consultation plan. Our recent trip to Kosovo was a remarkable learning and life experience. Over the course of a week, we conducted over 30 interviews with nearly 70 Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian victims of lead poisoning in Mitrovica, Kosovo. We also met with representatives of the UN, member states, civil society, and the Kosovo government. Since returning, we’ve already taken steps to translate our work into advocacy action, with the goal of ensuring victims’ voices are centered in our process and are heard in the halls of power.
Anna Kate Manchester ’26
Advocating for the LGBTQ Rights in Tunisia
When I applied to HLS, my application focused on my desire to work in human rights. I dedicated a portion of my personal statement to how IHRC would shape me into the human rights lawyer I’ve always wanted to be. Last year, I found myself wavering in response to typical HLS pressures to pursue corporate work. Since joining IHRC, however, I have been reminded of why I came to law school in the first place, and I am all the more confident that a career in international human rights is my path forward.
In addition to my academic and professional development, I’ve come to appreciate IHRC’s sense of community. Having been raised in the South, I often found myself in situations where human rights were incorrectly siloed into movements like communism and anarchism or dismissed as being “too woke”. I have never felt as seen and supported in my passions as I now do in IHRC. It has been fulfilling and motivating to be surrounded by other law students who devote their time to human rights advocacy. Additionally, the guidance I’ve received from my supervisor and other clinicians has provided immense clarity as to how I can both enhance my human rights knowledge while in law school and apply the skillset I’m developing to international human rights work post-grad. What I’ve learned in the past three months has felt more relevant to me and my future than the rest of my law school experience combined, and I’m excited at the prospect of continuing to evolve into a human rights lawyer with the IHRC.