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.”