Mae Ackerman-Brimberg is entering her third year of a four-year dual degree program at Columbia University Law School and School of Social Work. Upon graduation from Stanford University in 2006, Mae worked as a paralegal at a small civil rights law firm, then at Children’s Rights in New York on child welfare reform litigation. Last summer, Mae interned at the Legal Resources Centre in Grahamstown, South Africa, where she worked on cases to improve social service delivery and education. At Columbia, Mae is on the board of the Human Rights Law Review and will serve as an Articles Editor for the Jailhouse Lawyers’ Manual this year. She is also an active member of the Criminal Justice Action Network; has volunteered at the Correctional Association of New York; and participated in a prisoners’ rights clinic at Columbia. At NCYL, Mae is working with Pat Arthur and the juvenile justice team on reform efforts in Wyoming, Arkansas, and California. In her free time, Mae enjoys traveling, cooking, exploring new restaurants, yoga, and anything outdoors.
Rachel DiNardo is entering her third year at Berkeley Law. She is board member and student co-president of the Berkeley Law Foundation, an income-sharing organization that sponsors grants, diversity scholarships, and post-grad fellowships for public interest law students and new attorneys. Rachel is a project coordinator for Students for Environmental and Economic Justice; Articles Editor for the Berkley Journal of Gender, Law, and Justice; and an actress for the Women of Color Collective’s annual presentation of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. Rachel spent the past year clerking for the East Bay Community Law Center, where she helped CalWORKs and General Assistance recipients secure benefits and supportive services. She also prepared legislative materials and organized lobbying activities at the federal, state, and county levels to address welfare system reform efforts and the state budget’s impact on services. During Rachel’s first year of law school, at NYU, she represented high school students at school disciplinary hearings and conducted research on foster children’s educational stability. Rachel received her undergraduate degree in Cultural Anthropology at Georgetown University. At NCYL, she is working with attorney Bryn Martyna on Henry A. v. Willden, a class action to reform the child welfare system in Clark County (Las Vegas), Nev., and with attorney Rebecca Gudeman on improving children’s access to mental health care in California.
Jessie Ferguson is entering her second year at NYU School of Law. At NYU, Jessie volunteers with the Suspension Representation Project to represent New York City youth in suspension hearings. During the past year, she served on the publicity committee for NYU’s Public Service Auction. Jessie also performs in the Law Revue, a student-written musical comedy that parodies law school life. Prior to law school, Jessie spent two years teaching preschool at a Head Start center in Half Moon Bay, California through Teach For America. Jessie graduated from Bowdoin College with a double major in Music and Government and Legal Studies. At NCYL, Jessie is working with attorney Jesse Hahnel to improve educational outcomes for foster children. In her spare time, Jessie enjoys cooking, telemark skiing, and international travel.
Joanna Hernandez is entering her second year at Berkeley Law, where she is a Senior Articles Editor for Berkeley La Raza Law Journal. She will serve as Co-Editor-in-Chief for the 2011-2012 academic year. As a first year law student, Joanna was a volunteer counselor with the East Bay Worker’s Rights Clinic, advising mostly Spanish-speaking clients on their employee rights. She is also an active member of La Raza Law Students Association and the Women of Color Collective at Berkeley Law. Joanna graduated from Occidental College with a double major in Sociology and Spanish literature. During her undergraduate years, she mentored middle and high school students, helping them with academics and college research. At NCYL, Joanna assists attorney Bryn Martyna on child welfare issues and educational advocacy. Joanna also works with attorney Rebecca Gudeman on adolescent health, privacy, and consent issues. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, listening to music, exploring new places, and playing with her niece and nephews.
Kristy Luk is entering her senior year at Harvard University, where she is majoring in Social Studies with a concentration in American education. Outside of class, she does work with the Phillips Brooks House Association, a student-run organization that empowers students and community members in creating social awareness, change, and justice in the local community. In this capacity, Kristy is a member of the Harvard Undergraduate Legal Committee, has directed the Mission Hill Summer Program, and will be directing Strong Women, Strong Girls next year. All of these organizations have allowed Kristy the opportunity to work with and advocate for children and youth in the greater Boston area. At NCYL, Kristy is working with attorney Jesse Hahnel on foster youth education issues, and Communications Director Tracy Schroth on the Foster Care Reform Litigation Docket, Youth Law News, and strengthening NCYL’s online presence. In her spare time, Kristy enjoys reading, pistachio gelato, and spending time outdoors.
Wesley Sheffield is entering her third year at UC Hastings College of Law, where she is a member of the Social Justice Concentration. She also participated on Hastings’ professional skills teams, including the Negotiation and Mediation Team and the Moot Court Team. Wesley regularly volunteers at the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic, assisting domestic violence survivors with requests for restraining orders. Wesley received her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Political Science at UC Berkeley and is a proud alumna of the Cal Women’s Rugby team. Before law school, Wesley worked as a violence prevention educator with Mountain Women’s Resource Center, a domestic violence and sexual assault crisis center in Sonora, California. Last summer, Wesley was a law clerk for Legal Advocates for Children and Youth in San Jose, working on guardianship, dependency, special education, and family law cases. At NCYL, Wesley is working with attorney Patrick Gardner on children’s mental health issues. In her free time, Wesley enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring new restaurants, cooking, and traveling.
Travis Silva is entering his second year at Yale Law School. He is an Editor of the Yale Law and Policy Review and a board member of the progressive American Constitution Society at Yale. As a member of Yale’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic, Travis represents individual clients in civil rights litigation and immigration proceedings. He also assisted an organizational client’s successful campaign to pass legislation allowing undocumented youth to pay resident tuition at Connecticut’s public colleges and universities. Travis has also represented displaced people seeking asylum in the US as a member of the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project. Before law school, Travis taught 7th grade English in East Palo Alto, California with Teach for America. He earned his M.A. and B.A. summa cum laude from UC San Diego. At NCYL, Travis is assisting with Henry A. v. Willden and the child welfare reform docket. A native Northern Californian, Travis is enjoying a humidity-free summer with friends and family.
Jessica Snyder is entering her second year at Stanford Law School. At Stanford, Jessica is a member of StreetLaw pro bono, where she teaches youth at Hillcrest Detention Center in San Mateo, California. Jessica is also the Stanford Law Association’s Clinics Liaison; a board member for Stanford American Constitution Society; and a submission editor for the Stanford Law and Policy Review. Before law school, Jessica was a community organizer for Stand for Children, an education reform advocacy non-profit in Oregon. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Occidental College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. At NYCL, Jessica is working with Patricia Soung and Pat Arthur on juvenile justice reform in Arkansas, Wyoming, and Texas. In her free time, she likes to run, do yoga, and bake cookies.
Jamie Yoo is entering her second year at Duke University School of Law, where she advocates for abused and neglected children as a Guardian ad Litem in Durham County. She is a member of the Duke Innocence Project’s Decision Making Team and the Duke University Gender Violence Prevention and Intervention Task Force. She is a board member of the Public Interest Law Fund and Intellectual Property and Cyberlaw Society. Prior to law school, Jamie received her B.S. in political science and computer science from Yale University. She received her M.S. in education from Cal State East Bay while teaching algebra at an Oakland public school. As a certified domestic violence counselor, Jamie provided crisis counseling and client intake services at the Family Violence Law Center and St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco’s Riley Center. At NCYL, she is working with attorney Leecia Welch on child welfare and foster care issues. In her spare time, Jamie enjoys watching Korean professional sports, motorcycling, and learning to cook.
