The Donia Human Rights Center (DHRC) is pleased to announce its summer 2023 fellowship recipients who will participate in internships with human rights based organizations. These internships will provide students with an experiential learning opportunity that allows them to see how human rights work looks in practice. Donia Human Rights Center Director and Professor of Law Steven Ratner notes, “Summer fellowships give our students a real sense of the practice of human rights. They can apply their classroom knowledge to problems being addressed by human rights advocates around the world. We're very proud of this terrific group.”
This year DHRC is awarding the DHRC Belgrade Centre for Human Rights Fellowship, the DHRC Social Change Initiative Fellowship, DHRC Syria Justice and Accountability Centre Fellowship, the DHRC Student-Initiated Summer Internship Fellowship, and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims Summer Internship to support internship experiences for graduate and LSA undergraduate students with a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in human rights. These awards will support students working at leading non-governmental organizations abroad and in the United States that address a range of human rights issues, from ethnic conflict to the abolition of torture.
Along with these fellowship opportunities, DHRC continues to foster its established partnerships with the U-M President’s Advisory Committee on Labor Standards and Human Rights (PACLSHR) for the Fair Labor Association Fellowship and the Program in International and Comparative Studies (PICS) to support the DHRC/PICS/Perseus Strategies International Human Rights Fellowship. The DHRC continues its partnership with the Social Science Korea Human Rights Forum to award the Korea-Michigan Human Rights Research Fellowship to support summer research on human rights in South Korea.
The fellowships help cover the students’ living expenses for the duration of their internships.
Read more about the selected 2023 DHRC student fellows below. DHRC wishes all our fellows a productive and insightful summer as they learn and explore interdisciplinary career possibilities within human rights through their research and internship experiences!
2023 DHRC Belgrade Centre for Human Rights Fellowship
Awarded to U-M LSA undergraduate students to intern with the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights in Belgrade, Serbia.
Selin Baytan (she/her)
AB Political Science, AB French, Minor in Philosophy ‘24
Selin Baytan, a rising senior from New York, is double majoring in Political Science and French and minoring in Philosophy. On campus, she is the Co-President of UNICEF at the University of Michigan, the Co-Editor-In-Chief of the Michigan Journal of Political Science, and a Diplomacy Lab Researcher for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). Selin’s passion for advocating for social justice and human rights stems from her time since high school volunteering with Syrian refugees in Istanbul, where she was born. Selin has a passion for refugee affairs, world politics and languages, human rights advocacy, and international and refugee law. She hopes to combine these passions and pursue a legal career in the future to advocate for those who need it the most. Selin is thrilled to be working with the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights this summer as a fellow and is looking forward to her work on analyzing and advancing human rights around the world.
2023 DHRC Student-Initiated Summer Internship Fellowship
Awarded to U-M LSA undergraduate students with a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in human rights to work with an international human rights institution or organization identified by the student.
Dana Marion (she/her)
AB International Studies, AB Anthropology, Minor in Education for Empowerment ‘24
Internship with United Nations Association of the National Capital Area in Washington, D.C.
Dana Marion is an honors student at the University of Michigan from San Antonio, Texas majoring in International Studies and Anthropology with a minor in Education for Empowerment. With a special interest in working with refugee communities, she tutored local refugee students in San Antonio for four years at the Center for Refugee Services and has continued to advocate for the rights of refugees as Project Lead of UNICEF-UM. With a strong passion for international travel and experiential learning, she has studied abroad in Ghana, Thailand, and Spain. Last summer, she initiated the Environment and Sustainability Language-Learning Program as an intern at Alef, a civil society organization serving the local Eritrean asylum-seeking population in Haifa, Israel. Additionally, she has been an International Development Intern for the past two years at the Education for All Coalition (EFAC), a nonprofit dedicated to creating education opportunities to empower displaced children around the world, engaging in conversations about educational solutions for refugee children with a focus on climate education. This summer, she will be the Global Classrooms Curriculum Assistant at the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area in Washington, D.C. She is excited to further explore the intersection between education and international affairs and experience all that D.C. has to offer!
2023 DHRC/PACLSHR/Fair Labor Association Fellowship
Awarded to U-M undergraduate or graduate students to intern with the Fair Labor Association in Washington, D.C..
Fair Compensation Summer Manufacturing Internship
Mackenzie Mock (she/her)
MBA, MS Sustainable Development ‘25
Mackenzie Mock is a responsible fashion advocate working to advance the industry to safer, more equitable, and more environmentally sound practices. As the former Communications Director of Fashion Revolution USA, she helped spearhead campaigns that galvanized audiences around the country to advance the fashion revolution movement through education, policy, and event initiatives.
Mackenzie is a dual MBA/MS candidate at the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. Bringing a fashion focus into the fold through a multitude of learning lenses, she is a Student Committee Member of Fair Labor Association, Sustainability Consultant at Detroit-based garment manufacturer ISAIC, and Associate Investor of Michigan Climate Venture. She looks forward to continued engagement with FLA this summer.
Syria Justice and Accountability Centre Fellowship
Awarded to LSA undergraduate students to intern with the SJAC in Washington, D.C., and including executive director Mohammad Al Abdallah.
Yara Chehab (she/her)
AB Political Science, Minor in Moral and Political Philosophy ‘24
Yara Chehab is a third-year political science major and moral and political philosophy minor from Portland Oregon looking to develop her experiences in the world of Middle Eastern politics, specifically from the perspective of International Relations. She’d like to pursue law school in the near future and practice international law in the public sector. Her goal is to work with human rights cases as well as the breaching of international treaties. Through her background of being a Lebanese-American- Muslim woman, she’s had many experiences with family and friends who have suffered due to the harsh world of immigration as well as human rights abuses in general. She wants to use her ethnic and religious background this summer to help expand her knowledge on political issues in the Middle East as well as the process by which human rights cases are treated. Syria is a close second to Lebanon and the crisis going on in that part of the world is important to her because she believes in the concept of Pan-Arabism, thus she has a personal connection to those suffering in that region. Her goal this summer is to develop her knowledge and learn how to help those in situations of a breach of human rights laws.
International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims Summer Internship
Awarded to LSA undergraduate students to intern with the IRCT in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Skyla Park (she/her)
AB International Studies, Minor in Asian Studies ‘25
Skyla Park is a sophomore from La Canada, California majoring in International Studies focusing on International Security, Norms, and Cooperation with a minor in Asian Studies. On campus, Skyla is an Associate Editor for the Michigan Journal of Asian Studies, an Undergraduate Fellow at the Nam Center for Korean Studies, and works at the International Institute. She also serves on the boards of the Asian American Association, Liberty in North Korea, and Sigma Iota Rho. Last summer, she interned with The Alliance, a refugee resettlement agency based in Houston, and looks forward to further developing her skills through her work at the IRCT. She hopes to continue gaining international experiences and will be studying human trafficking in Stockholm, Sweden prior to her time in Copenhagen. Skyla hopes to eventually attend law school and continue working in the international sphere.
2023 Korea-Michigan Human Rights Research Fellowship
Award advanced LSA undergraduates take a seminar course on human rights (taught in English) at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul and conduct research on human rights in Korea
Hope Fuller (she/her)
AB Sociology, Minors in Asian Pacific Islander American Studies & Philosophy ‘24
Hope Victoria Fuller is a driven and accomplished individual with a passion for global exploration and community engagement. Currently a student at the University of Michigan, she is pursuing a degree in Sociology and two minors: one in A/PIA Studies and another in Philosophy.
This summer, Hope is excited to continue her journey of international learning and growth. She is the sole student selected by the Donia Human Rights Center with the opportunity to dive into the world of human rights in South Korea. Not only will she be able to take a seminar course at Sungkyunkwan University, but she'll also have the chance to conduct her own research in the field. Hope is confident that this experience will be transformative and she can't wait to see what she discovers during her time in Korea. South Korea is not the only place Hope will be traveling this summer. She will be improving her Spanish while studying abroad in Argentina, where she hopes to gain a deeper understanding of Latin American culture and history.
Hope is no stranger to global travel, having already explored a wide range of countries and cultures. She has visited Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, France, Italy, Egypt, and Greece, among others. She also has a deep appreciation for urbanization and has taken yearly trips to Chicago to expand her knowledge of the city's history and social dynamics.
Overall, Hope is excited to take on new challenges and expand her horizons this summer. She is looking forward to immersing herself in new cultures, gaining valuable research experience, and connecting with people from all walks of life.
2023 DHRC/PICS/Perseus Strategies International Human Rights Fellowship
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).
Thea Kendall-Green (she/her)
AB International Studies, AB Linguistics, Minor in Computer Science ‘24
Thea Kendall-Green is a rising senior from just outside of Boston, MA majoring in International Studies and Linguistics, with a minor in Computer Science. Within International Studies, she specializes in International Security, Norms, and Cooperation in the Middle East and North Africa, and she hopes to use her degree to promote peace, justice, and conflict resolution at home and abroad. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school to further her career in the field of international human rights. Outside of school, Thea is president of the Delta Gamma Phi pre-law sorority, a member of Secretariat for Model UN at the University of Michigan, a research assistant with the WordLab linguistics lab, and a member of the Michigan Refugee Assistance Program and Sigma Iota Rho International Studies Honor Society. Thea is thrilled to be working with Perseus Strategies this summer, and is beyond thankful to the DHRC and PICS department for enabling this opportunity.
2023 DHRC/PICS/Perseus Strategies International Human Rights Fellowship
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).
Emily Sedewitz (she/her)
AB International Studies, AB Program in the Environment, AB History ‘24
Emily Sedewitz a rising senior from Novi, Michigan studying International Studies on the International Security, Norms, and Cooperation track along with majors in the Program in the Environment and History. She has a particular interest in international human rights, law, and diplomacy. During her time at the University of Michigan, she has been involved with the Michigan Foreign Policy Council, the Center for Arctic Policy Studies at the University of Alaska as an Arctic Fellow, and is currently studying abroad in Madrid, Spain working towards Spanish fluency and towards building a strong background in international policy and an understanding of the structure and function of foreign governments. She has been grateful to gain experience interning with Environmental Law & Sustainability Clinic at Michigan Law underneath Professor Oday Salim, and is looking forward to applying to law school this upcoming Fall. She is thrilled to be gaining experience from the experts at Perseus Strategies this summer and working towards a career of helping others.
2023 Human Trafficking Clinic Fellowship
Awarded to graduate and LSA undergraduate students to intern with Clínica de Trabalho Escravo e Tráfico de Pessoas (Slave Labor and Human Trafficking Clinic) in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil with Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UMFG) School of Law Professor and Federal Judge Carlos Henrique Haddad.
Lior Cooper (she/they)
AB Statistics, AB Philosophy, Minor in Portuguese ‘26
Lior Cooper is a rising sophomore undergraduate student in the College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts. She is currently majoring in Statistics and Philosophy, with a minor in Portuguese, but hopes to graduate from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy with a BA in Public Policy and a double minor in Portuguese and Statistics. Lior was a member of the Michigan Community Scholars Program during their first year at UM, and will be joining the Global Scholars Program beginning in fall 2023. Lior is most looking forward to improving her fluency in Portuguese, a language she has been studying since 2020. They also look forward to having the opportunity to improve the lives of human trafficking victims, both on a policy level and on a personal level.
2023 Human Trafficking Clinic Fellowship
Awarded to graduate and LSA undergraduate students to intern with Clínica de Trabalho Escravo e Tráfico de Pessoas (Slave Labor and Human Trafficking Clinic) in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil with Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UMFG) School of Law Professor and Federal Judge Carlos Henrique Haddad.
Hannah Collins (she/her)
MSW ‘24
Hannah Collins is a Master of Social Work Student with a focus on Global Social Work Practice. Before coming to UM she served in the Peace Corps as a Secondary Education English Teacher Trainer in Colombia and as a College Adviser at Kearsley High School in Flint, Michigan through the Michigan State University College Advising Corps, an AmeriCorps program. In her free time, she loves reading, cooking, and hiking. She was inspired to apply to the Human Trafficking Clinic Fellowship in Brazil following her internship at the Human Trafficking & Social Justice Institute at the University of Toledo. She is excited to explore human trafficking on a global scale and explore cross-cultural solutions.
