Public Interest Fellows 2017 2018 - Stanford Law School
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Public Interest Fellows
2017 - 2018
Each year, Stanford Law School names as Public Interest Fellows third-year students who have
a history of public service, provide leadership within the law school, and are committed to
beginning their careers as lawyers in the public service. Fellows serve a variety of roles within the
law school – they mentor first-year students, provide policy direction for the Center and the law
school, have direct access to the law school administration regarding myriad issues related to
public interest, and engage in direct programming with the assistance of the Levin Center staff.
Faaris “Fares” Akremi Scholar, and is a Company Commander in the U.S. Army
Fares grew up on a farm outside of Reserve. During his 1L summer, Matt worked in the Family
Columbia, Missouri where he developed Violence Unit of the Denver District Attorney’s Office. Matt
a love for nature and waving at strangers. also volunteers with Service to School, an organization that
He earned degrees in Political Science and helps veterans apply to law school, and is a Court Appointed
Cultural Geography from the University Special Advocate (CASA) in Santa Clara County. After
of Missouri. Fares intends to make a career graduation, Matt will clerk on the Ninth Circuit and the
in environmental law, and interned with the Environmental District of Columbia District Court. In his personal time,
Protection Agency’s Office of Civil Enforcement in Matt likes the Colorado Rockies, the Wu-Tang Clan, and
Washington, D.C. during his 1L summer. During his 2L breakfast.
summer, Fares split his time between the Environmental
Transactions Group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and an John Bonacorsi
environmental public interest law firm called Shute, Mihaly John is a 3L at Stanford Law School.
& Weinberger. At Stanford, Fares has been Editor-in-Chief Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, John
for the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties graduated from Pomona College in 2012
(vol. 13), served on the executive boards of OutLaw, BLSA, with a degree in public policy. Before law
and the Environmental Law Society, and volunteered school, John was at the Prison Law Office
with the International Refugee Assistance Project and in Berkeley, California, where he worked
Environmental Law pro bono projects. After graduation, on class-action lawsuits challenging unconstitutional prison
Fares will spend two years clerking in Chicago and LA. In conditions and traveled to prisons across California to help
his free time, Fares enjoys running, cooking and watching clients access better medical and mental health care. John
TV with his boyfriend Ryan, reading fantasy literature, spent his first summer at ArchCity Defenders in St. Louis
playing MOBAs, and keeping up with his six siblings back in and the Community Justice Project in Miami, Florida.
Missouri. He interned at the Southern Center for Human Rights in
Atlanta, Georgia his second summer. At Stanford, John is
Matt Ball helping represent a federal prisoner as part of Stanford’s
Matt grew up in Denver, Colorado. He Three Strikes Project He is also a co-founder of the Stanford
graduated from Wesleyan University in Prisoner Advocacy and Resources Coalition (SPARC).
2008, where he studied Middle Eastern John volunteers at Planting Justice, an Oakland-based
history in Egypt and Yemen and was community organization that offers full-time, green jobs to
elected President of the Wesleyan Student formerly incarcerated individuals, as often as he can.
Assembly. After graduation, Matt served
as an Army Intelligence Officer for seven years, including Yvette Borja
a year-long deployment to Afghanistan with the 101st Yvette grew up in Pacifica, CA, a beach
Airborne Division, two deployments to Afghanistan as town within the Bay Area. Her parents
part of the 75th Ranger Regiment, and a deployment came to the U.S. seeking asylum from the
to Turkey with a Joint Special Operations Task Force. Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s. She is
While at Stanford, Matt served as the Co-President of the the first person in her family to graduate
International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), was on the from college and attended Yale University
board of the Criminal Law Society (CLS), and participated for undergrad. After graduating in 2014, she worked at a
in the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. He is a member of consulting firm focused on improving the social sector in
the Stanford Law Veterans Organization, a 2015 Pat Tillman San Francisco and interned for Justice Sotomayor in D.C.
Public Interest Fellows
2017 - 2018
While at Stanford, Yvette has been on the boards of the Melissa Cornell
Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Stanford Melissa is from Tucson, Arizona and
Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights, as well as a co-leader of attended college at the University of
the Stanford chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, the Pennsylvania, where she majored in
Critical Law Society, and the Workers’ Rights Pro Bono. Political Science and English. Between
During her 1L summer, Yvette interned in the Immigration college and law school, she joined Teach
and National Origin Program at Legal Aid at Work and this For America and taught ninth grade
past summer she interned at Pangea Legal Services doing science at a charter school in Philadelphia while pursuing
removal defense. During the spring quarter of 2L, she her master’s degree in education. As a 1L at Penn Law,
externed at Centro Legal de La Raza on their immigration Melissa served as co-director of the Servicemembers and
detention team, also doing removal defense. She Veterans Legal Assistance Project and as a board member
participated in the International Human Rights Clinic this for the Equal Justice Foundation, a student-run non-profit
past winter and is excited to participate in the Immigrants that raises funds for students to work in the public interest.
Rights Clinic this upcoming winter quarter. She plans At Stanford, she serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Stanford
on representing detained youth in removal proceedings Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and co-chairs
after graduation. In her free time, she enjoys working on the Economic Advancement Program, a pro bono project
her Cerebronas podcast project with fellow SLS classmate that coordinates with Community Legal Services in East
Cynthia Amezcua, hiking, and learning to cook new dishes. Palo Alto to provide counseling to low-income Bay Area
residents. She spent her 1L summer at the U.S. Attorney’s
Sophia Carrillo Office for the Southern District of New York, her 2L winter
Sophia Carrillo grew up on the U.S./ and spring with Stanford’s Youth and Education Law
Mexico border. Her experience growing up Project, and her 2L summer splitting her time between
on an international border and a mixed- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and the Youth Law Center in San
status community ignited a passion for Francisco.
human rights advocacy and international
security. Before law school, she reported Gemma Donofrio
on the Drug War in Mexico and studied international Gemma grew up on Long Island, New
courts in The Hague and nuclear security policy. In her York. She graduated from Haverford
“second home” of Washington, D.C., she worked for the College in 2012, with a major in Political
Mayor of D.C., served on a non-profit board, and was a Science and a concentration in Peace
consultant for national civil rights campaigns. She spent and Conflict Studies. Before law school,
her 1L summer with Office of the Legal Counselor at the Gemma worked in anti-hunger policy
U.S. Embassy The Hague, which represents U.S. interests in advocacy, and then served as a program manager for a
litigation in the international courts, and her 2L summer domestic violence drop-in center. While at Stanford, she has
with the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section, been involved with Housing Pro Bono, Race and Criminal
the prosecuting arm for all domestic and extraterritorial Justice Reading Group, CRCL, Shaking the Foundations,
terrorist acts against the United States. She has remained and Lawyering for Reproductive Justice. Gemma loved
active in various probono projects for immigrants’ rights. At being a full-time student in Community Law Clinic during
Stanford, Sophia has been involved with the Three-Strikes spring quarter of her 2L year, and plans to continue as an
Project, served on the Executive Board for the Stanford Law advanced student this year. Gemma spent her 1L summer
& Policy Review, the Women of Color Collective, American with the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney
Constitution Society, and SLS Dems. She was in the General’s Office, and split her 2L summer between Cleary
Prosecution Clinic last year and will join the Immigrants’ Gottlieb and Neufeld Scheck & Brustin, a civil rights law
Rights Clinic this year. She was delegate to the United firm. She is looking forward to externing with Legal Aid
Nation’s 60th Commission on the Status of Women and at Work this fall, focusing on gender equity issues. After
is passionate about building a pipeline to engage more graduation, Gemma will clerk in the Central District of
women in public leadership roles. Sophia loves traveling, California. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and doing
dancing, reading at the beach, and now, being more yoga.
politically active than ever.
Public Interest Fellows
2017 - 2018
Savannah Fletcher Elliot Higgins
Savannah grew up in the Pacific Northwest Elliot grew up on a farm outside of
on Whidbey Island, Washington. She Ottumwa, Iowa. He graduated from the
graduated from Columbia University in University of Iowa in 2012 with a degree
2014 with a BA in English and archaeology, in Political Science and Anthropology.
where she played on Columbia’s Varsity In college, he served for four years in
Volleyball team and volunteered as student government, including terms
a mentor to high schoolers in Harlem. After college, as City Council Liaison and President. After graduation,
Savannah worked as an archaeologist in Northern Elliot served as an AmeriCorps member with Iowa Legal
California and Arizona. Realizing the law would be a Aid where he conducted outreach to low-income Iowans
more powerful tool to effect positive change for Native and administered a pro se divorce clinic in Johnson
American and environmental interests, she is now at County. He then worked briefly as a paralegal at a private
Stanford pursuing a joint JD and Master’s in Environment firm before serving in the Peace Corps in Indonesia as an
and Resources. Savannah is Co-President of the Native English teacher. At Stanford, Elliot is a Senior Editor of the
American Law Students Association and Editor-in-Chief of Stanford Law Review and was formerly a Co-President of the
the Environmental Law Journal. She spent her first summer International Law Society and a Symposium Editor of the
in D.C. working at the DOJ’s Office of Tribal Justice and Stanford Law and Policy Review. He spent his first summer
spent her second summer working up in Juneau, Alaska, working for the Manhattan DA in the Violent Criminal
for Earthjustice and Alaska Legal Services providing free Enterprises Unit. His second summer was split between the
legal aid to the Southeast community. She plans to return EPA and Landesa. Outside of law school, he enjoys racket
to Alaska upon graduation, but until then you can find her sports, travelling, and bean bags.
playing basketball, volleyball, or hiking in-between classes.
Carly Hite
Drew Flood Carly grew up in Buffalo, NY and graduated
Drew grew up in San Diego and attended from Pomona College in 2012. After
UC Berkeley for his undergraduate, graduating, she spent a year teaching
studying History and minoring in Global English as a Fulbrighter in Cologne,
Poverty. Prior to law school, Drew worked Germany and two years teaching high
as an investigator for indigent defense school math as a TFA corps member in
offices in Washington, D.C. and New Harlem. At Stanford, Carly has focused on the intersection
Orleans, where he focused on capital cases. Drew also of criminal law and youth and education law. She was
worked for a year at an all-boys charter high school in academic chair of Projecte ReMADE and worked her 1L
Chicago as a tutor and mentor and spent additional time summer at the USAO in Buffalo. She also spent a quarter
before law school traveling and working a harvest at an in the Youth and Education Law Clinic, worked her 2L
Oregon winery. Drew spent his 1L summer doing capital summer at Advocates for Children of New York, was co-
work back in the South at the Southern Center for Human president of Youth & Education Advocates, and spent two
Rights and his 2L summer as a Certified Law Student at the quarters in a policy lab creating a guide entitled Protecting
Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland. At SLS, Drew Undocumented and Vulnerable Students. After graduation,
has been a co-organizer of the Stanford National Lawyers Carly will return home for clerkships on the Second Circuit
Guild chapter and the Stanford Critical Law Society, as well and the Western District of New York. In her free time, she
as one of the co-directors of the Housing Pro Bono. He enjoys traveling, cooking with friends, and rooting for the
also worked the Criminal Defense Clinic this past Spring Bills.
and will be in the Community Law Clinic this upcoming
Winter quarter. After graduation, Drew will clerk for Judge Haley Millner
Michelle Friedland and then hopes to work as a public Haley grew up in St. Louis, Missouri
defender. Drew tries to take a break from the law school and graduated from Duke University
grind as often as possible and loves to run, try new foods in 2014, where she studied English and
with his partner Maddy (especially local Thai food and Spanish. Before law school she worked
sandwich spots), and find fun new karaoke dive bars. at a medical clinic for immigrants and
as a part-time Spanish interpreter. She
has a passion for direct services and plans to launch into
a career in immigration law upon graduating from SLS.
Public Interest Fellows
2017 - 2018
At Stanford, she has been a member of the Immigration regulatory practice. Upon graduation, he will be joining the
Pro Bono, the Housing Pro Bono, the Volunteer Attorney Attorney Honors Program at the Office of the Comptroller
Project Pro Bono, Women of Stanford Law (WSL), the of Currency, an independent branch of the Department of
Reading Group on Race and Criminal Justice, and the Treasury.
Stanford Law Association (SLA). She is also a founding
member of Stanford Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights. She Christen Philips
spent her first summer at Legal Advocates for Children and Christen grew up in New Mexico, and went
Youth in San Jose, working primarily with unaccompanied to the University of Southern California,
immigrant children seeking legal status. Her second where she majored in Psychology, focusing
summer, she worked at a private public interest immigration on adolescent gang involvement. She
firm in San Francisco called Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & graduated in 2013, and joined Teach for
Nightingale. For fun, she likes to salsa dance, weightlift, and America in Phoenix, where she taught 7th
listen to podcasts (her favorite is Radiolab). and 8th grade. At SLS, Christen has been a Co-President
of StreetLaw and a board member for both the Latino Law
Miles Muller Students Association and Youth and Education Advocates.
Miles grew up in and around the east coast She spent her 1L summer in Brussels, working at the
waves of Virginia Beach, Virginia, where International Juvenile Justice Observatory, where she
he developed a deep appreciation for the researched the use of juvenile solitary confinement in North
environment and a lifelong addiction America. She participated in the International Human
to surfing. He graduated from Duke Rights Clinic in the Spring of her 2L year, specifically
University in 2015, where his interest in working on conditions of confinement in Latin America.
protecting the environment led him to pursue a degree She spent her 2L summer at the Public Defender Service for
in Environmental Science and Policy. At Stanford, he is the District of Columbia, in their Juvenile Services Program,
pursuing a joint JD/M.S. in Environment and Resources working with incarcerated youth. She will be clerking in
and has served as President of the Environmental Law the District of Massachusetts after graduation, and plans to
Society, President of the Environmental Law Pro Bono, and pursue a fellowship in juvenile justice after that.
Editor-in-Chief of the Environmental Law Journal. Miles
spent his 1L summer at the California Coastal Commission Adrienne Pon
protecting California’s coastal heritage and his 2L summer Adrienne is from Littleton, Colorado
at Earthjustice’s San Francisco office. In his free time, you and graduated from Stanford in 2012.
can find Miles either in the climbing gym or somewhere After college, she worked on the Obama
along the California coast. campaign and then lived in DC working
on various education initiatives. At SLS,
Juan Pablo (JP) Perez-Sangimino Adrienne helped co-found Stanford
JP grew up in Maryland and went to Boston Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights (and co-runs SAIR’s
College, where he majored in Political Research Bank project), was in the Supreme Court
Science and swam on the varsity swim team. Litigation Clinic, works as a research assistant, and is
He graduated in 2012, and joined Teach a member of APLISA. She spent her 1L summer at the
for America in the Rio Grande Valley, Impact Fund, public interest law nonprofit that focuses on
Texas. There, he taught 11th and 12th grade Social Studies. class action impact litigation for social justice, and her 2L
After his two-year commitment, he worked on anti-human summer at the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, working
trafficking policy in Washington D.C. and then travelled on immigration impact litigation. Adrienne will extern with
through Central and South America before entering law the Asian Law Caucus’s National Security and Civil Rights
school. At SLS, he is a member of the Afghanistan Legal Program this fall. After graduation, Adrienne will clerk on
Education Project and served on the boards of the Latino the Ninth Circuit.
Law Students Association and StreetLaw. During his 1L
summer, he worked in Phnom Penh, Cambodia helping Tara Rangchi
create the first annotated Cambodian Constitution which Tara is from El Dorado Hills California,
was published in September of 2017. During his 2L year, and graduated from UCLA in 2013 with
he worked with the International Human Rights Clinic a degree in Global Studies. While at
focusing on prison conditions and mistreatment of inmates Stanford, Tara has been involved in the
in Latin America. During his 2L summer, he worked as a International Refugees Assistance Project,
summer associate at Skadden, Arps in D.C. in their energy the Stanford International Human Rights
Public Interest Fellows
2017 - 2018
Journal of International Law. During his 1L summer, he
Law Association, the Afghanistan Legal Education Project, interned with the Navy JAG Corps in Washington, D.C. And
and the Environmental Law Journal. She took part in the during his second he split between Sullivan & Cromwell
International Human Rights Clinic last spring. Tara spent LLP and DOJ’s Federal Programs Branch in Washington.
her first summer in Kigali, Rwanda as a judicial clerk for He looks forward to clerking for Judge Thomas M.
Chief Justice Rugege of Rwanda’s Supreme Court. During Hardiman in Pittsburgh after graduation.
this summer, in addition to case work, she worked on
reproductive rights policy and was able to attend sessions Max Schoening
of the 27th African Union Summit: Women’s Rights as Max grew up in San Francisco and
Human Rights. Tara split her second summer between graduated from Brown University. After
Jenner & Block, LLP and the U.S. Department of State, college, he worked as the Colombia
Office of the Legal Adviser. This fall, she is looking forward researcher for Human Rights Watch
to externing at the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, and and co-edited an oral history book
after graduation, is clerking on the District of Colorado. In called Throwing Stones at the Moon:
her free time, she enjoys hiking, skiing, and being outside. Narratives from Colombians Displaced by Violence. At
SLS, he participated in the Three Strikes Project and
Clare Riva Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, and co-founded Stanford
Clare Riva, originally from Rockville, Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights. During his 1L and 2L
Maryland, graduated from Claremont summers, he interned for the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum
McKenna College with a degree in Representation Project, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s public
Philosophy in 2013. She spent her years defender division, and The Bronx Defenders’ Immigration
before law school as a management Practice. He will extern for the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights
consultant, confirming her disinclination Project this fall and clerk in the Middle District of Alabama
to work at a corporate firm. After volunteering for a after graduation.
criminal record expungement organization her 1L year,
Clare founded Project Clean Slate at SLS. This year she
will also represent clients in expungement hearings for the Tory Tilton
San Mateo County Private Defender Program. Last year Tory is from Sycamore, IL and graduated
at SLS Clare wrote an amicus brief on behalf of the Three from the University of Rochester in
Strikes Project for her client’s cert petition and particularly 2012. Prior to law school, Tory lived
appreciated the opportunity to represent indigent clients in in Washington, D.C. for three years
the Criminal Defense Clinic last spring. She is also involved where she interned at the White House,
in the Prisoner Legal Services pro bono, StreetLaw, CLS, worked at the Department of Defense,
the Race and Criminal Justice Reading Group, SLLSA, and volunteered extensively at a domestic violence and
and WSL. Her 1L summer Clare worked in the criminal sexual assault shelter. As a 2L, Tory co-lead the Immigration
misdemeanor unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Pro Bono, worked in the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic and
Francisco and spent this summer at Civil Rights Corps helped start the new student group Stanford Advocates
in D.C. challenging the criminalization of poverty. After for Immigrants’ Rights (SAIR). Tory continues to serve as
graduation she will clerk in the District of Maryland. She Vice President of Community Engagement for the Native
likes driving, traveling, the Washington Nationals, and American Law Students Association. She spent her 1L
lifting weights—e-mail her if you want to discuss any of the summer at Accountability Counsel in San Francisco, where
above over coffee or beer (preferably while sitting outside). she supported communities experiencing harmful impacts
from internationally-financed development projects.
Chuck Roberts During her 2L summer, Tory worked at a small civil rights
Chuck is from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania firm in Chicago.
and graduated from Columbia University in
2012 with a BA in Political Science. Before Kelsey Townsend
arriving at SLS, he worked for Governor Kelsey is from Oakland, California and
Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and graduated from Wesleyan University in
then as a paralegal with Linklaters LLP in 2011. Before starting law school, Kelsey
New York City. At SLS, he is the Executive Vice President worked at the American Civil Liberties
of Stanford Law Association and a student member of the Union, where she assisted with litigation
university Board of Trustees. He is also Symposium Editor and advocacy around women’s rights,
of Stanford Law Review and a submissions chair of Stanford reproductive freedom, LGBT rights, and religion and
Public Interest Fellows
2017 - 2018
belief. At Stanford, she has served as a board member of
Stanford Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, a co-chair
of the Shaking the Foundations Progressive Lawyering
Conference, and managing editor of the Stanford Journal
of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. She has also volunteered
with the Immigration Pro Bono, the StreetLaw Pro Bono,
OneJustice expungement clinics, and the Stanford Prisoner
Advocacy and Resources Coalition. She spent her 1L
summer with the Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense
Practice in Manhattan, her 2L spring with the Immigrants’
Rights Clinic, and her 2L summer with the Alameda County
Public Defender’s Office in Oakland. Kelsey plans to work
as a public defender after graduating law school.
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