Justice Graduate Interns
Alex Grant
Educational Equity Justice Graduate Intern
Alex Grant is a graduate student in the Epidemiology program. Alex is an international student from Jamaica who graduated from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a degree in Biology and a minor in Public Health. There, he gained a passion for health equity and advocacy making his career goal aiding in reducing health disparities in society through research and policy. He currently serves as Parliamentarian for the Graduate Student Government where he chairs the Governance committee. Alex has an interest in childhood cancer epidemiology and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in that field. Outside of academics, Alex loves traveling, and enjoying new experiences with friends.
Huong (Vaneessa) Le
Racial Justice Initiatives Justice Graduate Intern
Vanessa is a graduate student in the Masters of Science in Foreign Service program at Georgetown. Born and raised in Vietnam, Vanessa has an interest in international affairs and sustainable development. She graduated from UC San Diego with a BA in International Studies-Sociology and minors in Environmental Studies and Music. Vanessa spent her gap year working in transportation electrification policy in San Diego. Understanding sustainable development cannot exist without a decolonization framework, Vanessa sets her goal to integrate social justice into her academic and professional work. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys picnicking with a good book and making her 120th Spotify playlist.
Samuel (Sam) Primis
Immigrant Justice Initiatives Justice Graduate Intern
Samuel is a second-year graduate student in the MA Latin American Studies program in the School of Foreign Service (SFS). Born in DC and raised in Chevy Chase, Maryland, he completed his Bachelor’s at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, majoring in International Studies and Spanish with a minor in Portuguese. Throughout both his high school and undergraduate experiences, Samuel worked closely with recent immigrant communities in DC and Chicago, in addition to researching immigration to, from, and within Latin America in an academic setting. Outside of school, Samuel enjoys yoga, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Gabriella (Gabi) Farrell
DCSP & Immigrant Justice Initiatives Justice Graduate Intern
Gabriella is a graduate student pursuing a MA in Latin American Studies in the School of Foreign Service (SFS) with a focus on migration. As an undergraduate student at Dickinson College, Gabriella studied International Studies and Latin American, Latinx and Caribbean studies. In academic settings, she has conducted research on im/migrant communities in Argentina and Washington D.C. Gabriella has research and nonprofit experience in addition to experience working in community with working class im/migrant families in the D.C. area. Outside of the classroom, Gabriella enjoys cooking, exploring new restaurants, and social dancing at salsa/bachata events in D.C.
Ileana Mendez Espinoza
Immigrant Justice Graduate Intern
Ileana is a graduate student in the Special Masters in Physiology at Georgetown. She graduated with her Honors BS in Human Sciences from Georgetown’s School of Health this past May of 2023. Throughout her time as an undergrad, Ileana was a member of the DC Schools Project. The program allowed her to work toward her goals in immigration justice and to spread the passion toward achieving justice amongst the Georgetown community. As she is in the process of applying to medical schools, Ileana hopes to give back to her community by working in community-based clinics that provide access to the most vulnerable populations. She has began to do so this past summer during her time in the Arlington Free Clinic, where she was a volunteer before working full-time with them during the summer.
Ciera Dykstra
HOME Program Justice Graduate Intern
Ciera is a second year Masters of Foreign Service in Science and Technology in International Affairs student and a graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder. As a Pickering fellow they will be entering the US Foreign Service as diplomats in August 2023. Although they will be soon representing the US internationally, their love for the country and community is rooted in their work through mutual aid organizations over the last 5 years. Ciera believes that to change the world, one must start with taking care of their community and looks forward to supporting students, employees, unhoused neighbors and residents in increasing community care and knowledge through the HOME program. When Ciera is not listening to international relations podcast you can find them crocheting, taking their two kittens (Juniper and Huckleberry) on walks, and spending time outside with friends.
Jamira Richardson
Youth Justice Graduate Intern
Jamira is a graduate student in the English MA program at Georgetown. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, she graduated summa cum laude from St. Mary’s University with a B.A. in English Literature and Language in 2020. Before coming to the Hilltop, she worked extensively with underserved youth as an intern for a premier literary arts center, a student success coach for an education nonprofit, and a teacher for an afterschool program similar to ASK. In the future, she hopes to channel her passion for empowering diverse young voices into becoming an editor for multicultural children’s and young adult books.
Sareena Dubey
Engaged Scholarship Justice Graduate Intern
Sareena Dubey is a graduate student in the MA of Global, International, and Comparative History program. Her academic focus is on migrant farm labor in California during the early 20th century. Her research concentrates on labor movements and explicitly explores cultural practices, intra-ethnic hierarchies, and outside interventions on and within these communities. Much of her work is rooted in activism of the past with the ultimate goal of informing future activism. Sareena is also the co-editor-in-chief of the Georgetown history publication, The Footnote, and currently serves as a senator in the graduate student government. When free, you can find her at the nearest live music venue, cuddling with her dachshund called Disco, or collecting records.
Mihad Semir
Educational Equity Justice Graduate Intern
Mihad Semir is a graduate student in the Epidemiology Program. Mihad is originally from Minnesota, where she graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. She received her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with minors in Public Health and Psychology. During her undergraduate capstone, Mihad was introduced to a nonprofit in Minnesota that focused on the importance of a child’s sleep and providing families with beds for their children. In this role, she learned more about the importance of children having a bed and the impacts of that on a child’s academics, performance, and overall mood, this began her passion for Epidemiology. Mihad is interested in the impact of Post Migration Stress on Health, the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders and neurocognitive disorders, and Infectious Diseases and the impacts on Africa and the Health Systems in place. She hopes to pursue her PhD in the future. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching films, going to concerts/museums, and exploring D.C..
Andrew Van Wagoner
Student Organizations and Leadership Justice Graduate Intern
Andrew Van Wagoner is a graduate student in Georgetown’s English MA program. He earned his Bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in English, minored in Rhetoric, and earned a certificate in Creative Writing. After graduating, he briefly returned to his hometown in McAllen, Texas to work in education as a reading teacher for elementary school students. Andrew hopes to eventually enter a PhD program after completing his MA thesis, where he’ll continue doing research on literature and theory. During his free time, Andrew likes to write short fiction, read novels, play games, and explore Washington D.C.
Iklil Bouhmouch
Alternative Breaks Programs Justice Graduate Intern
Iklil Bouhmouch is one of the graduate interns with the CSJ, working specifically on the Alternative Breaks Programs. Having completed her bachelor’s in anthropology with a minor in gender studies at UCLA, she is in the second year of her Masters in Arab Studies at Georgetown. As part of her undergraduate thesis, Iklil conducted a digital ethnography examining the ways in which female rappers carry on a legacy of musical resistance to modesty culture. Their research generally centers gender, class, identity, and the environment in Northern Africa as seen through the lenses of cultural anthropology, history, and media studies. Iklil grew up in Rabat, Morocco, and advocates for a transnational and transregional feminism grounded in decoloniality, anti-capitalism, environmentalism, and racial justice. As such, she has been organizing around various issues including alternative programming amongst indigenous environmental activists at the COP22, activism against US militarism in the SWANA region and for justice in Palestine, as well as the feminist movement in Morocco. In her free time, Iklil enjoys photography and videography, collaging, and dancing to afrobeats, chaabi, and raï.
Minna Mughal
Justice Graduate Intern for HOME/55H
Minna Mughal is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Management at McDonough School of Business. She is originally from California, obtaining a Marketing degree from The University of San Francisco. During her time in San Francisco, she spent a majority of her time volunteering at shelters around the city, such as St. Anthony’s Foundation and built community with the clients she worked with. As Cultural Awareness Chair in her sorority, Delta Zeta Xi Lambda, she created and facilitated various workshops on social justice and impact to encourage her sisters to focus on issues within the San Francisco community itself. In the future, Minna hopes to integrate her passion for social justice and bring ethical values into her leadership positions. On the weekends you can find Minna at the National Gallery of Art or perusing the different shops on Wisconsin Avenue.
Gillian Hodge
Justice Graduate Intern for Operations
Gillian is a graduate student in the MS in Foreign Service program concentrating in Global Politics and Security. Gillian is originally from Rhode Island, and majored in International Relations, Political Science, and Chinese in her undergraduate studies at the University of Rhode Island. Prior to coming to Georgetown, she spent last year studying abroad in Taipei, Taiwan as a Boren Scholar, where she also interned with a civil society organization that represented Taiwan’s interests in international forums. Gillian is pursuing a Certificate in Asian Studies alongside her graduate degree, and is interested in working in diplomacy with a focus on US-East Asian affairs. In her free time, Gillian enjoys cooking, reading, and putting together Spotify playlists for every occasion.
Paulash Chatterjee
Justice Graduate Intern for Engaged Scholarship
Paulash is currently in his second year pursuing a Master of Science in Epidemiology at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Originally from Jaipur, India, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Paulash’s academic journey is fueled by a profound curiosity about the progression of diseases and their impact on individuals. Collaborating with Dr. Arjun Shankar, he is actively involved in a research project that delves into the intricate landscape of student mental health on campus and its underlying factors. Beyond academia, Paulash finds joy in exploring new destinations, having visited six countries to date with aspirations for more. A cricket enthusiast, he also enjoys the camaraderie of the game both on and off the field.