December 2018
Gaby Vasquez
BA International Studies (Political Economy and Development); BA Political Science ’15
Hometown: Weston, FL
University of Michigan Affiliations: Michigan Daily (Design & Michigan in Color editor), Beyond the Diag (Neighborhood Ambassador & Marketing Program Assistant), SOSVenezuela (Co-Founder & Organizer)
“I am currently at Yale Law School pursuing a career in international human rights law and immigration law. After graduating, I worked at a law firm in D.C. where I assisted on international human rights cases, such as on behalf of labor unions on a case against several clothing brands for violations of the Bangladesh Accord, and on behalf of Ukraine against Russia on a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for human rights violations.
I spent two weeks in The Hague working on oral presentations before the ICJ for the Ukraine case and felt that my experience at the University of Michigan as an International Studies major uniquely prepared me to easily grasp the nuances of such an international conflict and the complicated laws and treaties governing it, such that I was asked to be the sole and lead paralegal on the case despite having the least paralegal experience at the firm.
As I continue with my studies at Yale Law School, I find myself constantly drawing on what I learned in my International Studies classes and applying it to my understanding of international human rights law. I’m truly grateful for the opportunities I had in the Program in International and Comparative Studies as they have brought me to where I am today.”
