eja 30 years

Columbia University School of Law

The following Columbia University School of Law students have received fellowships from Equal Justice America. These fellowships are made possible by contributions from Columbia law alumni. With continued support from the alumni, we look forward to putting many more Columbia law students and graduates to work providing vitally needed legal assistance to the poor.

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(Equal Justice America is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation unaffiliated with any law school.)
Please click the links below to read more about the students’ EJA Fellowships.

"This summer reaffirmed that I want to do immigration work next summer and after law school! I am excited to see what is next and will forever be grateful to KIND, Equal Justice America, and Columbia Law School for helping me on this journey!"
Ilana Dutton
Columbia University School of Law
EJA Summer Fellow, 2023
  • Summer 2023
    • Ilana Dutton worked at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) in Washington, DC.
    • Devyn Helsing ;worked at the Urban Justice Center in New York.
    • Justin Onwenu worked at the Service Employee International Union in Washington, DC.
    • Clayton Pierce worked at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in New York.
    • Priyanka Radhakrishnan and Patrick Wigent worked at The Legal Aid Society in New York.
    • Rose Wehrman worked at the Education Law Center in Philadelphia.
    • Keyi Yan worked at the East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley.
     
    Spring 2023 
    • Rose Wehrman worked at the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia.
  • Summer 2021
    • Chakshu Hurria worked at Mobilization for Justice in New York City.
    • Haley Rea worked at the Center for Family Representation in New York City.
I am learning what it means to be a partner in fighting for equity, as well as how best to amplify survivor’s voices. I feel lucky to work at an organization unafraid to ask hard questions, to listen, and willing to implement uncomfortable solutions.
Rachel Rein
Columbia University School of Law
EJA Summer Fellow, 2020
  • Summer 2019
    • Daniel Lim and Olivia Lin worked at the New York Legal Assistance Group.
  • Summer 2016
    • J. Antonio Carrera worked at The Bronx Defenders.
    • Young Choi worked at the Georgia Legal Services Program in Atlanta.
    • Madeline Hopper worked at Legal Services NYC.
    • Princeton Hynes worked at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in New York City.
    • Maia Hutt worked at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affair in DC.
    • Gahee Lee worked at Brooklyn Defender Services.
    • Frederick Pai worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
    • Alice Wang worked at The Legal Aid Society in New York City.
    • Dielai Yang worked at Atlas: DIY in Brooklyn.
  • Summer 2015
  • Spring 2015
    • Kirby Tyrrell worked at The Door’s Legal Services Center.
I had a wonderful work experience this summer, made possible by Equal Justice America. Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, where I worked, is a phenomenal organization. For me, having the opportunity to work for the Community and Economic Development team (“CED”)—a division of Brooklyn A that does transactional work—allowed me to do the type of legal work I want to do in my career (transactional work) within the public sector.
Max Sternberg
Columbia University School of Law
EJA Summer Fellow, 2017
  • Summer 2013
    • Jennifer Anderson worked at The City Project in Los Angeles.
    • Erik Chamberlain and Min Choi worked at The Legal Aid Society.
    • Kathryn Crumbaugh worked at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.
    • Mattan Erder worked at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation.
    • Rosie Wang worked at Sanctuary for Families in New York City.
     
    Fall 2012 
    • Stephanie Tiboah Amoako worked at Lutheran Social Services of New York.
  • Summer 2012
    • Jennifer Anderson worked at The Family Center in New York City.
    • Alexander Buonocore worked at the Resilience Advocacy Project in New York City.
    • Julia Catania worked at Catholic Charities Community Services in New York City.
    • Courtney Doak worked at Children’s Rights in New York City.
    • Jennifer Douglas worked at Youth Represent in New York City.
    • Mikaela Evans -Aziz worked at Sanctuary for Families in New York City.
    • Joseph Gonzalez worked at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County.
    • Stephanie Grajales worked at Legal Services NYC.
    • Janet Jones-Duffey worked at Community Health Advocates in New York City.
    • Daniel Ketani worked at Campaign for Educational Equity in New York City.
    • Michelle Luo worked at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice.
    • Anthony Ortega worked at The Legal Aid Society in New York City.
    • Olga Peshko and Allison Yurcik worked at Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services.
    • Leigh-Anne St. Charles worked at the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky.
    • Raquel Toledo worked at the East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley, CA.
  • Summer 2011
    • Gabriella Barbosa worked at the Public Counsel Law Center.
    • Mia Martin worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
  • Summer 2010
    • Valeria Lopez worked at Community Lawyers, Inc. in Compton, CA.
    • Roxana Mondragon worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Atlanta.
    • Faiza Sayed worked at the Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles.
    • Rosa Zamora worked at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles.
    • Joy Ziegeweid worked at Sanctuary for Families in New York City.
  • Summer 2009
    • J. Taylor Kirklin worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
    • James Kong worked at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS).
  • Fall 2008
    • Laila Hlass, Class of 2008, began a two year $80,000 post-graduate EJA Fellowship at the Loyola Legal Clinic in New Orleans.
  • Summer 2008
    • Carl Forbes and William Hughes worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
    • Chava Spivak-Birndorf worked at GBLS.
  • Spring 2008
    • Peng Wu worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
  • Summer 2007
    • Rebecca Bonagura and Maria Emanuelli worked at the Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services at Sanctuary for Families in New York City.
    • Eleanor Bryant worked at the Equal Justice Center in Austin, TX.
    • Jennifer Chung worked at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice in New York City.
    • Sueanne Co worked at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem.
    • Jessica Espinosa worked at the Legal Aid Society in New York City.
    • Daryl Kuo worked at Boat Peopl SOS in Houston, TX.
    • Adriana Luciano, Edward Timlin and Joaquin Torres worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
    • Jennifer Oh worked at the Urban Justice Center in New York City.
    • Emily Weiss worked at GBLS.
  • Spring 2007
    • Amanda Torres-Dietrich worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
My two-year EJA Fellowship at Ayuda went above and beyond my expectations for my first job out of law school. I was able to serve a diverse group of clients in a wide variety of immigration matters and receive top-notch supervision from passionate and brilliant attorneys. I am excited that Ayuda, a new attorney, and additional clients will all be able to benefit from this next EJA Fellowship.
Kelly Hii
Staff Attorney and former EJA Fellow at Ayuda
  • Summer 2006
    • Dorian Berger, Nathan Carle, and Michael Maier worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
    • Katherine Brandes worked at Catholic Charities Community Services in New York City.
    • Owen Conroy worked at the New York Legal Assistance Group.
    • Alida Garcia worked at the Public Counsel Law Center in Los Angeles.
    • Marie Annabelle Gardere worked at Dwa Fanm (“Women’s Rights in Haitian Creole”) in Brooklyn.
    • Jose Ramirez worked at the Equal Justice Center in Austin, TX.
    • Zachary Sharpe worked at Project Renewal in New York City.
  • Spring 2006
    • Minji Kim worked at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) in New York City.
  • Summer 2005
    • Sydney Bird worked at Catholic Charities Community Services.
    • Kevin Frankel worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
    • Sergio Leal worked at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.
    • Robert May worked at the Legal Aid Society in New York City.
    • Lateef Nurmohamed worked at the Harvard Law School Legal Services Center.
    • Kristi Schaeffer worked at the Migrant Farmworker Justice Project of Florida Legal Services.
    • Sydney Tarzwell worked at the Urban Justice Center in New York City.
  • Fall 2004
    • Jaime Parks worked at Catholic Charities Community Services.
  • Summer 2004
    • Anna Arceneaux, Jessica Caroll and Ryan Fahey worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
    • Nicole Beliveau worked at the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts.
    • Robert Bickel, Kathy Jung, and Thien Nguyen worked at the Legal Aid Society in New York City.
    • Geoff Hu worked at Queens Legal Services.
    • Liang Gao worked at Legal Information for Families Today in New York City.
    • Rebecca Gutner worked at Catholic Charities Community Services.
    • Anne Lainer worked at Bet Tzedek Legal Services in Los Angeles.
    • Lydia Mendoza worked at Los Angeles County Neighborhood Legal Services.
I am grateful for the support of the EJA Fellowship during my time at [the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation]. As the granddaughter of farmworking immigrants who benefitted from CRLAF’s advocacy for farmworkers back in the 1970’s and 80’s, I was especially humbled to assist in CRLAF’s efforts this past summer. Now, as a rising 3L looking to my post-graduate career, I am eager to continue working with immigrant communities and I hope to return to CRLAF upon completing my legal education.
Clarisa Reyes-Becerra
Columbia University School of Law
EJA Summer Fellow, 2018
  • Fall 2003
    • Doris Cho and Myra Elgabry worked at the Legal Aid Society in New York City.
    • Annie Hsu and Amy Mulzer worked at the Welfare Law Center in New York City.
  • Summer 2003
    • Harrel Connor and Erin Durba worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
    • Paola Garcia worked at In Motion, an organization in New York City that provides legal representation to victims of domestic violence.
    • J. Clare McRae worked at Legal Aid Services of Oregon.
    • Nicole Vanderlaan worked at the HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance in Los Angeles.
  • Fall 2002
    • Giliane Cherubin and Kristina Holm worked at Catholic Charities Immigrant and Refugee Services.
    • Joyce Kim worked at the Sanctuary at Families Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services in New York City.
    • Jennifer Lav and Camilla Roberson worked at the Welfare Law Center in New York City.
  • Summer 2002
    • Molly Biklin worked at the National Employment Law Project in New York City.
    • Melissa Cohen, Mindy Foss and Paul Powell worked at Brooklyn Legal Services.
    • Sonia Mansoor worked at Sanctuary For Families Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services.
  • Spring 2002
    • Giliane Cherubin worked at Catholic Charities Community Services.
    • Sandeep Satwalekar worked at the Welfare Law Center.
  • Fall 2001
    • Giliane Cherubin worked at Catholic Charities Community Services.
  • Summer 2001
    • Aimee Creed and Syed Mehdi Imam worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
    • Matthew Elston worked at Legal Services in New York City.
    • Michelle Ko worked at MFY Legal Services in New York City.
    • Peter Tsapatsaris worked at Merrimac County Legal Services in Lowell, MA.
    • Thomas Widor worked at the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in Washington, D.C.
  • Summer 2000
    • Michael Altschuler worked at Legal Services of Greater Miami.
    • Kai-Lin Hsu worked at Legal Services at The Door, NYC.
    • Ranjana Natarajan worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation B.
  • Spring 1999
    • Amber Busuttil and Jason Solomon worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
Such a positive and educational experience at my summer internship [at The Legal Aid Society in New York City] could not have been possible without the support from Equal Justice America. I am sincerely grateful that I was able to be part of the Summer 2015 Fellowship program, and I hope that this program will continue to support other law students like myself and encourage future generations of lawyers to advocate for marginalized, vulnerable populations and to commit themselves to ensuring equal access to legal services. Thank you again for your generosity.
Joanne (Seung Eun) Kim
Columbia
EJA Fellow
EJA Summer Fellow, 2015
  • Fall 1998
    • Heidi Gilchrist and Catherine Lifeso worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
  • Spring 1998
    • Melissa Rothstein worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation B.
  • Fall 1997
    • Jason Fraser and Raliana Ruvalcaba worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation B.
    • Tiffany Matthews worked at MFY Legal Services.
  • Summer 1997
    • Africa Davidson worked at the Legal Aid Society in New York City.
  • Spring 1997
    • Tami Parker and Judy Wong worked at MFY Legal Services.
    • Julie Smith worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation B.
  • Summer 1996
    • Palyn Hung worked at Public Advocates in San Francisco.
    • Phyllis Hwang worked at the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law in San Francisco.
  • Spring 1996
    • Rachel Gemen worked at MFY Legal Services.
  • Fall 1995
    • Ruby Nidiri and Ian Rose worked at MFY Legal Services.
  • Summer 1995
    • David Lund worked at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services.
  • Summer 1994
    • Josh Gray worked at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation B.
    • Shannon Hill worked at the Youth Law Center in San Francisco.

© 2021 EQUAL JUSTICE AMERICA and the Equal Justice America logo are registered trademarks of Equal Justice America.
Equal Justice America is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, EIN number 13-3708596

This organization supports and values the uniqueness of all individuals and promotes a work environment where diversity is embraced.

© 2021 EQUAL JUSTICE AMERICA and the Equal Justice America logo are registered trademarks of Equal Justice America.
Equal Justice America is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, EIN number 13-3708596

This organization supports and values the uniqueness of all individuals and promotes a work environment where diversity is embraced.