2024-2025
Aashna Avachat
I’m a 2L at HLS, focusing my studies on the intersections between the criminal legal system and juvenile advocacy. I’m a member of Harvard Defenders, Harvard Women’s Law Association, and Harvard’s South Asian Law Student Association. This past summer, I did juvenile delinquency work at the New York Legal Aid Society, in their Juvenile Rights Practice. Outside of law school, I work in children’s publishing as an author and editorial assistant.
Kia Azadbakht
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to join the Y-Lab Fellows community and immerse myself in a group dedicated to learning and developing skills in youth advocacy. My personal struggles with education, growing up as a child of immigrants unfamiliar with the U.S. school system and having attended an underperforming school, motivate my interest in fighting to eliminate inequities in public education. These firsthand experiences drove me to major in public policy with a focus on U.S. education and pursue law school to acquire the legal expertise necessary to improve educational outcomes for all students. In my second year at HLS, I am excited to serve as an extern for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education Legal Office. I look forward to gaining more hands-on experience in various areas of education law that will further my growth as a youth advocate.
Sarah Berton
After conducting education research in undergrad and spending a few years as a paralegal, I came to law school to become an advocate for educational equity. In my first year at HLS, I took Professor Gregory’s reading group on Racism and Trauma in American Public Education, learned about other child-facing systems in Art of Social Change, and connected with other passionate students passionate through Y-Lab’s mentorship program. Youth are often unfairly and disproportionately impacted by unjust systems, and they are also central to any movement for system-level change. I am excited to be a part of the Y-Lab’s Fellows Program to develop as an advocate while working with my peers to center and empower youth voices in the fight for social change.
Sunah Chang
I came to law school with the goal of using my legal degree to fight for the educational rights of all young people. My interests in educational advocacy work stem from my own experiences growing up in an immigrant household and attending a struggling public elementary school. Witnessing the gaps in our education system firsthand has informed my desire to serve youth of all backgrounds and to push for a more equitable education system. After spending my 1L summer interning with Advocates for Children of New York, a nonprofit centered on protecting the rights of students with disabilities, I have grown even more committed to child advocacy work. I am excited to enhance my understanding of youth-facing legal systems as a Youth Advocacy Fellow and to grow with a community of passionate and inspiring students and faculty.
Elizabeth Coughlin
Christopher Egi
My interest in the Youth Advocacy Fellows Program is grounded in my belief that how we treat our youth reflects our broader societal values of care, dignity, and compassion. I am dedicated to ensuring that young people learn from an early age that they are valued, their voices matter, and their dreams are attainable. As a JD/MBA I hope to leverage my multidisciplinary background in in business and the law, to develop solutions at the intersection of youth policy and economic justice. I am excited about the formal training the Youth Advocacy & Policy Fellows Program offers and look forward to growing with a community of mentors, professors, alumni, and peers who share my passion for advocating for children.
Maggie Hopkins
Working for and with young people is one of the reasons I came to Harvard Law School, and the Youth Advocacy and Policy Fellows Program keeps me connected to this motivation. My first experience with the legal system came as a child when a guardian ad litem was appointed to protect my interests in court. I quickly recognized the importance of giving young people a voice, and I worked to do the same through my roles as a summer camp counselor for students with special needs; a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters; an English teacher in Germany through the Fulbright Scholars Program; and a fundraiser for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). After 1L, I spent my summer in a U.S. Attorney’s Office working specifically on child exploitation prosecution. Through Y-Lab, I hope to continue exploring my interests in child welfare, while also learning about youth-facing legal systems and structures (such as the school-to-prison pipeline, anti-racist and trauma-sensitive education, and juvenile justice) that demand intentional and thoughtful engagement.
Anu Joy
Interested in education policy prior to law school, I came to HLS wanting to understand how to become a better advocate. I grew up in a family of educators who always emphasized the value of education. However, it wasn’t lost on me that due to biases and structural factors, many children from marginalized communities do not have access to a high-quality education simply because of their demographic characteristics. In undergrad, I had the opportunity to work with a number of educational stakeholders and analyze the differential impact of the pandemic on educational achievement in my thesis, but I was left wondering what I can do to change this reality. Being a part of the Youth Advocacy Fellows program will allow me to understand how to use law as a tool to give every child the opportunity to learn. I will be able to gain an intersectional perspective in child advocacy, while engaging in tangible work in the space with peers who share my passions. I hope to work in the education law space after law school doing both litigation and policy work to create equitable opportunities for high-quality education.
Sophie Lenihan
As an aspiring educational advocate, I am deeply committed to expanding access to high-quality education for all students through impact litigation and policy advocacy. My passion for education was ignited when I investigated the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education for a research project in my senior year of high school. Since then, my academic, volunteer, and work experiences have been devoted to tackling the persistent racial achievement gaps that plague our education system by increasing access to quality education for students of color. I chose to attend law school to acquire the legal tools to dismantle systematic barriers to education and expand my impact as an effective advocate for all students. I am honored to be a part of the Youth Advocacy & Policy Fellows Program to develop my expertise in the field of youth advocacy, receive individualized advising and mentoring, and join a community of other law students interested in this work.
Cordy McJunkins
I am eager to join the Youth Advocacy & Policy Fellows Program to collaborate with professors and students who share my passion for advocating for youth and challenging systems. As someone who grew up in the foster care system and attended underfunded public schools, I witnessed firsthand the challenges that many children face, especially those from marginalized backgrounds. These experiences ignited my passion for civic education and its power to empower young people to be active participants in society. After law school, I aspire to pursue a career in politics and academia, focusing on reforming how educators, policymakers, and politicians work with students to enact meaningful change. I chose HLS because of the unparalleled opportunities to connect with others who are equally dedicated to improving the lives of children. Through this program, I am excited to develop the skills and network necessary to drive impactful reforms in education policy.
Leela Mennillo
Megan Patel
I came to law school because I want to use my legal education to ensure all youth have access to the equalizing power of our education system. Through my work at the U.S Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, I saw the myriad ways educational institutions create policies and practices that harm students of color, limited English proficient students, and LGBT students. After my first year of law school, I spent the summer working on issues of student harassment and discriminatory school discipline practices at the National Women’s Law Center. As a Youth Advocacy Fellow, I am eager to deepen my understanding of youth-facing legal systems, engage in youth-led advocacy, and learn how to dismantle systems of power that harm marginalized youth.
Tia Patrick
As a law student, I recognize the severe long-term consequences that frequently result when youth confronted by the legal system receive inadequate representation. Consequently, as a legal practitioner, I wish to provide adolescents with effective aid, representation, and support. As a law student, I have participated in various elective courses and student organizations, such as Lawyering for Justice in the United States, the Art of Social Change, and Harvard Defenders, which enabled me to identify within myself a passion for serving as a youth advocate. During my 1L summer I served as a law clerk for the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights. In my role, I witnessed how caring advocates can fundamentally change the outcome of a child’s life. I am honored to be a Y-Lab fellow! The program will further develop my ability to manage crises, mediate conflict, and serve as an effective youth advocate.
Hudson Patterson
I am a rising 2L from Seattle, WA. Before law school, I worked as a research assistant for two psychological labs which explore youth behavior and cognition. During my 1L summer, I worked as a Law Clerk for the Orange County Public Defenders in the juvenile section, where I got a first-hand look at how attorneys can zealously advocate for youth ensnared in the criminal justice system. I am also a former teacher. As a Y-Lab fellow, I am excited to explore the intersection of law and psychology and how social science can be used to help young people achieve favorable legal outcomes.
Lindsey Powell
I was homeschooled for most of my education. While my own parents were loving and well-intended, I witnessed horrific cases of abuse and neglect (both physical and educational) in the homeschool community. Like most important questions, there is great nuance in the arguments on both sides of the homeschool policy reform debate. The Youth Advocacy & Policy Lab provides me with the skills and perspective necessary to analyze these arguments and evaluate avenues for reform. Regardless of how I spend my career, I will make it a priority to help make homeschooling safe. This may come in the form of pro-bono work, academia, or simply using my education to help individual students escape dangerous situations.
Anindu Rentala
Hi! I’m Anindu Rentala. I was born in Hyderabad, India and grew up in Austin, TX. Personally, I agree with sayings like “it takes a village” and “all kids are our kids” because I felt deeply supported by my community in Austin. Professionally, my interests revolve around dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. I’m currently externing at Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, representing students with disabilities who have been unlawfully suspended from schools in the Greater Boston area. I have also interned at trial and appellate public defender’s offices and previously taught middle school and high school around the country. On campus, I am involved with the Prison Legal Assistance Project and the Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. Before HLS, I graduated from Dartmouth College and studied English Language Instruction at Boston University’s Wheelock School of Education and Human Development.
Kaveri Sengupta
A key reason I came to law school was to explore the possibilities of a career at the intersection of law and education, and I’m grateful that being a Youth Advocacy & Policy Fellow will allow me to do so. Much of my passion for education equity stems from growing up in New York City and witnessing the effects of a public school system where students competed for limited opportunities. My prior professional and academic experience includes advocating for marginalized Asian American Pacific Islander students in New York, pushing to close the higher education gap for low-income students and students of color as a fellow in a congressional office, coordinating a program that provided college scholarships to high school students often overlooked by the traditional admissions process, and pursuing my master’s degree in Education Policy and Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. During my master’s program, I had the opportunity to participate in the Education Law Clinic on legislative and administrative lawyering at HLS, where I was introduced to the system change framework and worked closely with a high school student who delivered testimony on her experiences with academic tracking at a briefing for Massachusetts elected officials. I am especially interested in civil rights, policy, and the government’s capacity to effect change, so during my 1L summer, I worked on legal policy guidance at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in their Program Legal Group. I am looking forward to participating in the Y-Lab program to develop a solid foundation in education law in community with other students who share these interests.
Wesley Streicher
Bobby Stroup
I applied to the Y-Lab Fellows Program, because I wanted to join a community of people dedicated to advocating for some of the most vulnerable people in our society, a mission that has long been deeply important to my family and me. At a young age, my mother was removed from a bad home situation and ended up living at a children’s home until graduating high school. Since then, she has been a passionate advocate for children, vocationally as a teacher and in other ways in her personal life. I also have many other educators in my family who have similarly inspired me to support society’s youth.
Though I have pursued this passion more informally by volunteering with a variety of organizations over the years, I am now hoping to develop my skills and understanding on a professional level. I don’t know exactly how serving youth will manifest in my career, but I do know I want to be well equipped for whatever opportunities may come.
Omar Tariq
I am a second-year student at Harvard Law School interested in using legal tools to advocate for education reform and improve educational outcomes for under-served students. Prior to law school, I worked in education in Houston. I was first a full-time teacher then worked as a district content specialist, where I wrote curriculum and supported science teachers across my school district. As an educator, I witnessed how high-level educational initiatives often fail to have their intended effect on education. I came to law school with the long-term goal of advocating for meaningful educational policy that improves the experience of teachers and students. The Youth Advocacy Fellows program, along with my involvement in education-related clinics and courses, will help me broaden my perspective on education reform and build the skills I need to achieve these goals.
Ciara Tisdale-Vakos
Youth advocacy, criminal justice, and public service have been throughlines throughout my life. I watched my mother serve as a court-appointed special advocate and a foster parent and my father teach culinary arts to incarcerated individuals at a state jail. Their efforts, alongside witnessing the detrimental impacts of the juvenile justice system on families, sparked my interest in child advocacy. I firmly believe that ending mass incarceration involves reshaping how our criminal legal system treats children and young adults, especially youth of color. In undergrad, I interned in a juvenile probation office and worked as a clerk in the Virginia Beach General District Court criminal division. As a Youth Advocacy fellow, I hope to learn more about the intersection of systems that directly impact young people, such as child welfare and education, and continue to support young people throughout my community.
Cindy Wang