Thea Kendall-Green
BA International Studies (International Security, Norms and Cooperation); BA Linguistics; minor, Computer Science ‘24
This summer I interned at Perseus Strategies from June 26th to August 18th. It was an amazing experience, and one I would highly recommend to anyone interested in working in the fields of international law or human rights. As an intern, I worked alongside attorneys, permanent employees, law school interns, and one other U of M intern to complete many different types of assignments. One such task was to research members of Congress to see who might be amenable to helping advocate for a client of ours on The Hill. Another was to research and write a due diligence memo on a high-profile potential client we were considering working with. The project I spent the most time on, however, was for an NGO client that is pushing for reform in the realm of effective post-release prison practices internationally. I researched the practices used in over 50 countries and then wrote up summaries for a white paper we were creating. I also helped edit and proofread other parts of the paper.
This project in particular advanced my educational goals immensely. In a very tangible sense, I learned much more about citations and the expectations of written works intended for international law audiences. As I intend to go to law school in the future, exposure to the Bluebook was also very informative. Furthermore, following along with the client as they planned their next steps, I had the opportunity to see deeper into the inner workings of the UNHRC (UN Human Rights Council) than I ever have in the classroom. The Managing Director of the firm is a very impressive individual who has done a lot of work with the UN and with prisoners of conscience, and learning under him this early in my career was a privilege. Not only him, but all the other employees were happy to chat with me about my academic and professional future. I actually had a law school interview this summer at a school where one of the legal interns was currently attending, and he was an excellent resource to help me feel more prepared and ready to take it on.
In addition to my co-workers, the firm also had many speakers come in who were truly inspirational. From someone who had been in Tiananmen Square to a former Nicaraguan presidential candidate, they were all one-time clients who shared life-changing insights and stories. While I did not speak with him personally, one client’s story that was especially poignant was that of Siamak Namazi. During my time working at the firm, large steps were taken toward his release from imprisonment in Iran. seeing how that process unfolded, both on the news and internally at the firm, was an incredibly valuable experience.
This internship solidified for me that international human rights law is a career path I want to pursue and gave me countless resources to support that goal. I am so appreciative of everyone who made this experience wonderful, and I want to give a special thank you to the Donia Human Rights Center, the PICS Department, the Perseus Strategies team, Danielle Schmidt, and Ms. Amy Rose Silverman, without whom this would not have been possible. I am happy to be a resource for anyone thinking of applying to this opportunity in the future.
