Addison Morris, 3L
Addison’s interest in joining the IHRC stems from her passion for learning about cultures and helping communities. While at the University of California, Santa Barbara, she worked as a researcher and conducted studies on arranged and child marriages in Nepal and Tanzania. To conduct in-field research, she traveled to Nepal for a summer and lived with a Nepali family. The experience instilled in her an appreciation for different cultural traditions. Moreover, Addison co-authored a paper assessing American beliefs around child marriage and focusing on structural issues, like poverty, as a root cause.
With her passion for service, Addison volunteered at local Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and homeless shelters. She also started a small business, which she owned and operated before law school.
At USC Gould, Addison is a board member on the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice, LLM Legal Writing Fellow, and participates in Street Law, teaching middle school and high school students different legal topics each week. Addison also served as President of the Law Students for Better Health club and Secretary for the Women’s Law Association. During her 2L summer, she worked at McDermott, Will & Emery LLP.
“My research experience informs my passion for helping women and children and desire to empower them through legal advocacy.”
Gil Hong, 2L
Gil’s passion for social advocacy began with his parents. Gil’s parents are South Korean immigrants who have physical disabilities from contracting polio at a young age. Growing up, Gil’s parents were passionate disability rights activists who eventually motivated and empowered Gil to combat injustice through social advocacy. Gil gained further insight into different people and perspectives through his international sports career. For example, Gil attended a soccer academy in Brazil during one of the worst outbreaks of violence against police in Brazilian history.
All of Gil’s experiences instilled a desire to immerse himself in different cultures and understand the critical socio-political issues that impact them. At Columbia University, Gil balanced his studies in Political Science with his commitment to being an NCAA Division I athlete. Additionally, he earned a grant to attend a language institute in South Korea. Before law school, Gil worked for three years at Davis Polk & Wardwell and was seconded to J.P Morgan Chase.
Since starting at USC Gould, Gil was a 1L Representative for the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and the Entertainment Society. He was also a Student Body Events Chair. During his 1L summer, Gil worked at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
“I am interested in learning about the intricacies of distinct societies and how to tackle their respective issues. … I believe the IHRC would be an incredible opportunity to gain direct experience in combating pressing social matters.”
Graham Smith, 2L
Graham’s interest in joining the IHRC stems from his desire to advocate for the rights of vulnerable populations. Before law school, he served as president of his school’s chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND), an advocacy organization founded in response to the war, genocide, and mass atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. As president, he led students in lobbying their Congressmen and Senators on legislation designed to ensure that the U.S. had the requisite watchdog capabilities to identify mass atrocities. His work with STAND cultivated a consciousness for global human rights issues.
During his undergraduate studies at the College of the Holy Cross, Graham double majored in Political Science and History. He took classes on ethics in international relations, revolutions in modern Africa, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. He researched the U.S. response to refugee crises in Syria and Burma, evaluating the historical nuances that influenced the policy-making process. Graham is excited to cultivate his interest in international law as a student attorney with the IHRC.
At USC Gould, Graham served as a 1L Representative for the Student Bar Association, Public Interest Law Foundation, and International Law and Relations Organization. He currently holds executive board positions in the Public Interest Law Foundation and First-Generation Professionals Program, and he is the Academic Affairs Co-Chair of the Student Bar Association. Graham also volunteered with the International Refugee Assistance Project, and during his 1L summer, he worked as a legal intern with Navy JAG Corps in Washington, D.C.
“My experiences have intensified my interest and passion for human rights and the international legal system. I see this clinic as an opportunity to follow up on the experiences I had with human rights issues and conduct substantive legal work while in law school.”
Hamee Yong, 2L
Hamee has a strong interest in addressing international human rights issues. Having lived in three different countries by the age of 15, she gained an ability to empathize with those who had to adapt to new cultures and belief systems. At the University of Chicago, Hamee ran her school’s chapter of a human rights advocacy group called Emancipate North Koreans (ENoK). As a member of ENoK, she tutored and mentored North Korean refugees residing on the South Side of Chicago. She witnessed the economic and cultural barriers that made the transition to the U.S. increasingly difficult. This experience motivated Hamee to work with refugee resettlement and integration issues. As an undergraduate student, Hamee majored in Economic and Human Rights Studies to grow her understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of economic policies and human rights frameworks.
Before law school, Hamee worked for major banks as an investment banker and private equity investment associate, and in each role, she decoded abstract business models across industries and geographies into viable investment theses. Consequently, she approaches the global refugee resettlement crises through a financial and economic lens. Hamee hopes to strengthen her grasp of refugee resettlement policies through participation in the IHRC.
While at USC Gould, Hamee has been involved with the Public Interest Law Foundation and International Refugee Assistance Project. She also volunteered with the National Lawyers Guild: Venice & Skid Row Homeless Citation Legal Clinic.
“I hope to bring my transactional and investing experience to formulate an innovative solution that can encourage public and private investment to support policies. Participation in the IHRC will allow me to lift barriers for those who were forcibly removed, persecuted, and stripped of their basic rights so that they can reconstruct the lives they deserve.”
Harutyun Margaryan, 3L
Harut’s lived experiences fuel his passion for advocacy. In Armenia and the United States, he marched to commemorate those lost during the Armenian Genocide. Harut protested to demand that perpetrators admit responsibility for atrocities committed. He is driven by his desire to make a difference and see justice served. During the Artsakh War in 2020, he joined the Media Fact Checking Committee within the Armenian Bar Association in which he researched and presented facts to challenge and mitigate bias created by statements from foreign governments and media outlets. Shortly after the war concluded, he joined the Center for Truth & Justice to help prepare law students in Artsakh to interview war victims in hopes of using their testimonials as evidence in international court.
As an undergraduate at California State University, Northridge, Harut studied Accountancy and Business Administration. Upon graduating, he worked as a Certified Public Accountant in California providing auditing services to entities in a broad range of industries.
Since starting at USC Gould, Harut was president of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, Vice President of Finance for Law Students for Better Health, and Treasurer for the Armenian Law Students Association. Harut spent his 1L summer as a summer associate at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and a legal intern for Citigroup and the Security and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement in Washington, D.C. During his 2L summer, he returned to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.
“I want to join the IHRC to exercise my passion for human rights and social justice. Although I may not fully understand the adversities of others, my experience as an Armenian immigrant and efforts at restitution for injustices done towards Armenians taught me the importance of uplifting marginalized voices and strengthening our work to advocate for them.”
Jesse Eaton-Luria, 2L
Jesse’s interest in the IHRC stems from her passion for cross-cultural exchange. At the University of California, Santa Barbara, she majored in Global Studies and minored in Spanish. Her intellectual curiosity led her to study abroad for a year in Chile at the Universidad Católica de Chile. She explored Latin American and human rights studies and strengthened her Spanish language skills.
Following Jesse’s year in Chile, she worked at a non-profit organization, Amigos de las Américas, as a project supervisor for the cultural immersion program in Costa Rica. She engaged in cross-cultural collaboration with youth volunteers, partner agencies, and community members. Jesse’s experience there laid the groundwork for her urge to connect with and learn from those on the frontline. She looks forward to furthering her global understanding with the IHRC and particularly hopes to explore the intersection of environmental and human rights law.
While at USC Gould, Jesse was a 1L Representative for the National Lawyers Guild, Public Interest Law Foundation, and Energy and Environmental Law Society. She volunteered at the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Center and the Los Angeles Country Bar Association’s Domestic Violence Prevention Project. Jesse is currently the Vice President of the Energy and Environmental Law Society. During her 1L summer, she worked as a legal intern for the Public Interest Network.
“I am passionate about collaborating with communities to understand the nuances of their experience and different legal forms. The opportunity for cross-cultural exchange, hands-on impact, and life changing work is why I am so excited about this clinic.”
Maramawit Abera, 2L
Mara’s interest in the IHRC stems from her passion for cross-cultural collaboration and advocacy. At the University of Pennsylvania, she explored the intersection of health and human rights, earning an undergraduate and graduate degree in Public Health. While at Penn, she also worked as a researcher studying the health of various populations like African American youth with a risk of HIV and older adults with a biomarker risk of dementia. She took a community-based approach to research to deepen her understanding of complex problems and identify culturally competent solutions.
Before law school, Mara worked in the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Her work informed the incorporation of additional testing sites in communities with high rates of COVID-19 transmission. Additionally, she volunteered with organizations that served African and Caribbean refugees. Mara implemented initiatives like weekly food and product deliveries, home health and social service visits, and referrals to mortgage assistance agencies. Mara is excited to strengthen her advocacy and cross-cultural skills as a student attorney with the IHRC.
Since enrolling at USC Gould, Mara has been active with the Black Law Students Association and Womxn of Color Collective. She also volunteered with the International Refugee Assistance Project. This year she will be a JD Legal Writing Fellow and a member of the Hale Moot Court Honors program. During her IL summer, she worked as a legal intern at Cerberus, a private equity firm, in its New York office.
“I am passionate about anchoring my work in communities because I believe it improves my capacity to problem-solve. Working in the IHRC, I hope to restore the power and autonomy of clients by working collaboratively and unpacking how generalizations in the law may adversely impact them.”
Mariem Masmoudi, 2L
Mariem has been a long-time advocate for refugee rights. For a year, Mariem withdrew from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she studied Political Science and Religious Studies, to participate in a revolutionary moment in Tunisia. Afterward, she immersed herself in the seismic shifts gripping the entire region. Together with a group of young Tunisians, Mariem co-founded SAWTY (My Voice) – today, Tunisia’s largest youth-led organization. Later, she transitioned to working on cross-ideological dialogue efforts with the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), cutting through decades of fearmongering by the State to find common ground between secular and Islamist politicians.
Mariem went back to school at Columbia University for a Master’s degree to strengthen her understanding of contemporary political thought and governance. She wrote her Master’s thesis on the politics of identity and religion in the 2014 Tunisian constitution. While at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), she directly worked on constitution-building and reform initiatives across the Middle East and North Africa region. This experience only increased her thirst for answers. Now, working with the IHRC, Mariem hopes to learn and refine a critical mindset to fight against injustice.
At USC Gould, Mariem plans to study constitutional rights and international human rights law. During her IL summer, she worked at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
“The experiences I was fortunate to have over the years have cemented in me an understanding of the law beyond its letters, seeing it as a critical and multidimensional perspective to striking needed balance and justice in our modern and diverse societies. Working with the International Human Rights Clinic, I hope to leverage my language skills and cultural awareness.”
Uma Fry Demetria, 2L
Uma approaches the work of the IHRC through a deeply personal lens. She was born in Nepal, where she lived in an orphanage for her early life. While there, she learned that the Director of the orphanage had a hand in a massive transnational child trafficking operation. While she was fortunate to be adopted and not impacted by this operation, the circumstances ignited her passion for human rights. Since then, Uma has pursued opportunities to promote her understanding of human rights to prevent future abuses of vulnerable populations.
At Pitzer College, Uma studied Political Studies with a minor in Legal Studies. She wrote her honors thesis on the relationship between human trafficking rates and anti-trafficking statutes. From this exploration, she gained valuable experiences researching human trafficking laws in depth and applying them to international and domestic jurisdictions. Moreover, Uma was part of the Pitzer College Judicial Council where she helped adjudicate cases in which students were charged by the Dean of Students for violating college policy, some of which pertained to Title IX. Before law school, she interned at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office in its Resentencing Division and the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Uma is eager to bring this knowledge to the IHRC and strengthen her understanding of critical issues, like human trafficking, as a student attorney.
Uma is a Gould Honors Scholar. She was also a 1L Representative for the International Law and Relations Organization and the Public Interest Law Foundation. During her IL summer, she worked for the Habeas Corpus Resource Center.
“I am eager to deepen my understanding of anti-human trafficking law and refugee rights in the IHRC by fighting to obtain justice for victims of crimes against humanity, as well as helping to represent human trafficking survivors and those seeking asylum.”