Awarded to LSA undergraduate students to intern with Perseus Strategies, LLC in Washington, D.C., and its managing director, the renowned international human rights lawyer, Jared Genser (U-M Law '01).
Samantha Bloomstein
Spanish and International Studies (ISNC)
Class 2025
This summer I had the amazing opportunity to intern at Perseus Strategies. This unparalleled experience was beyond enriching and one that I would recommend to anyone interested in pursuing a career in international law or human rights. I have grown immensely from the guidance and expertise of the Perseus team through the hands-on exposure of the countless projects that were being worked on by the staff of attorneys, law student interns, and other undergraduate interns. Throughout my summer I was able to attend multiple speaker events on the Hill as well as private meetings with clients, both in person and on zoom. I worked on a variety of projects such as research pertaining to different congressional members who could advocate for our clients on Capitol Hill and sanction laws of different countries around the world.
Eli Merren
International Studies
Class of 2025
When I was first made aware of the International Human Rights Fellowship that would allow me to intern at Perseus Strategies, I was slightly intimidated. As a first-generation college student, I had no experience interning anywhere, and had no personal connection to anyone who had. The more that I looked into the fellowship, the more daunting the prospect of applying became. Nonetheless, the opportunity ignited an excitement deep inside of me, and I resolved to take my chances and apply in hopes of taking advantage of this remarkable opportunity.
During my internship, I set out to gain practical experience in human rights law and to contribute meaningfully to the firm's initiatives. I successfully met these goals by actively participating in research projects, drafting legal documents, and assisting with case preparations. Additionally, I had the opportunity to attend real-world proceedings with some of our clients as we built their case for them.
The close-knit team at Perseus Strategies also offered me the chance to expand my knowledge on human rights issues and various international legal systems, as well as familiarize myself with instances of human rights abuses abroad that I would likely not have encountered otherwise. In addition to the practical workplace skills that I was able to hone during this opportunity, I was also able to better educate myself on global issues that were sure to arise in my future career as an advocate for human rights. The benefit of my internship, then, was two-fold. Not only was I able to gain the practical experience and skills associated with professional work, but I was also able to commit myself to learning more about the world around me in a manner that simply would not have been possible otherwise.
