We are pleased to introduce the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program Summer 2022 interns. Over the next few months, these undergraduate and law school students will assist attorneys and Program staff with administrative projects, case-related tasks, and litigation efforts. We are thrilled to have such a talented group of students join our team and we look forward to working with them this summer.
Learn more about our interns:
Yessenia Acosta Terrazas
Yessenia is a rising 3L at the University of Massachusetts School of Law. Originally from Yuma, Arizona, Yessenia came to Massachusetts to pursue her academic interests in immigration and refugee law, international law, and criminal law. Yessenia currently works as a Child Advocate Supervisor for The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with summa cum laude honors from Arizona State University. When Yessenia is not busy with work and school, she enjoys exploring New England, taking walks with her dog, and going to the movies.
Nicole Carter
Nicole Carter is a rising 2L at University of Minnesota Law School, where she is focusing on human rights and migration law. At Minnesota, Nicole volunteers for and serves as vice president of the Asylum Law Project, and assists as an intake specialist with the Binger Center for New Americans’ Afghan Evacuee Project. Before law school, she worked with a variety of civil and human rights organizations including CAIR-Chicago, RefuSHE, Equal Innovation, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Nicole received her BS in Economics and International Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in December, 2020.
Allyson Gambardella
Allyson is a rising second-year student at Harvard Law School. Prior to law school, she worked at an immigration law firm, Dyer Harris LLP, and taught English in Catalonia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Minor in English and Creative Writing from the University of Chicago. When Allyson is not working, she enjoys reading and hanging out with her five-year-old rescue dog.
Sarah Goldman
Sarah is a rising sophomore at Wellesley College studying English and Computer Science. She is the proud daughter of Korean and Iranian immigrants and the oldest of three siblings. Upon graduation, she intends on pursuing immigration law and giving back to the communities that raised her. She is grateful for the opportunity to work with the HIRCP and support others in the lengthy (and often frustrating) immigration process. Although she left Canada years ago, she remains convinced that the Tim Hortons Double Double is leagues above anything Dunkin’ can brew. She stands by this opinion and will not be silenced.
Aleyah Hassan
Aleyah is a Bangladeshi-American who was born in New York and raised in South Jersey. Prior to beginning law school, she worked as an intake specialist at the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America, where she worked closely with the Criminal Defense, Immigration, and Civil Rights departments in cases aimed towards protecting the constitutional rights of those incarcerated. She is currently a rising 2L at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and a Toll Public Interest Scholar. Aleyah is pursuing public interest with the goal of providing legal assistance to marginalized individuals and organizations supporting movements in replacing oppressive systems with ones that center humanness, compassion, and embrace equity and self-determination.
Asha Ramachandran
Asha is a rising senior at New York University majoring in Social and Cultural Analysis and Journalism and minoring in Spanish. They are passionate about transformative justice and promoting community-based alternatives to detention and incarceration. Asha is currently an Undergraduate Research Fellow at NYU’s Prison Education Program and is also conducting an independent research study on the impact of electronic monitoring on individuals and their families. They hope to attend law school and pursue immigration law in order to help combat the increasing marginalization and criminalization of immigrants.
