Meet the Current Human Rights Clinic Student Interns
Abby Matherne is a 2L from Houston, Texas. Her interest in human rights law comes from a desire to study the legal aspects of the social issues she learned about during her anthropology studies in college. Before joining the Human Rights Clinic, Abby clerked at Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., where she developed an interest in learning about barriers people face in accessing housing in Miami-Dade. As a legal intern on the COURAGE Team, her work focuses on the relationship between gender-based violence and housing.
Alexzandrea (Bia) Bartle is a 3L from Tempe, Arizona. She studied Religious Studies and History at Arizona State University, where examining religious history and culture exposed her to suppressed narratives and the gap between institutional ideals and lived realities. This shaped her focus on how systems of power define justice and who they leave behind. During law school, Bia served as a Certified Legal Intern at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, working closely with clients experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. On campus, Bia serves as a Dean’s Fellow for Constitutional Law. In the Clinic, she collaborates with artists and community partners to integrate art and human rights advocacy in support of housing justice.
Amanda Sarmientos is a 2L law student. Originally from Cuba, Amanda's interest in human rights comes from personal experiences. She is a member of International Moot Court at the Before law school, she founded the Cuban Heritage Society at Florida International University, with the goal of raising awareness about human rights violations in Cuba and protecting cultural diversity. She currently works with the Gender Justice & Work Rights team at the Human Rights Clinic, where she focuses on heat protections for agricultural and plant nursery workers. She is a member of International Moot Court at the University of Miami and serves as Treasurer at the Cuban American Bar Association Miami Law Chapter. Amanda incorporates a creative perspective in her advocacy strategies, often including diverse art forms to sharpen her projects and outreach.
Ana Luiza Potgornik Ferreira is a 2L from São Paulo, Brazil. In Brazil, she worked for nine years in commercial and strategic civil litigation at Brazilian law firms. She is now pursuing a joint J.D./LL.M. degree in U.S. and Transnational Law at the University of Miami School of Law. After moving to the United States to continue her legal education, she deepened her interest in human rights and international law, with a focus on economic, social, and cultural rights. This past summer, she served as an assistant to Professor Charles C. Jalloh at the United Nations International Law Commission in Geneva, contributing to the Commission’s work on subsidiary means for the determination of rules of international law. In the Human Rights Clinic, Ana Luiza is a member of the Housing Justice team, where she works to advance the right to adequate housing in the United States through research, advocacy, and community engagement.
Avery Friedman is a 3L from Stamford, Connecticut, who majored in Political Science & English at the Pennsylvania State University. After serving as a summer associate this past summer, Avery will be joining Carlton Fields' New York City office this upcoming fall. On campus, Avery is involved with the University of Miami Law Review and is an Articles and Comments Editor. She is also a research assistant to Professor Irwin Stotzky. Additionally, she is a member of the Human Rights Clinic's COURAGE team, where she advocates for immigrant survivors of gender-based violence and has worked with team members to develop a specialized project for survivors in Miami-Dade County.
Carolina Perez is a 2L student born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She has interned for former Senator Marco Rubio’s re-election campaign and spent two consecutive summers working for Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, assisting constituents with immigration and federal policy matters and conducting research on national and international policy initiatives in Doral, Florida, and Washington, D.C. Carolina continues her dedication to public service through her work with the Human Rights Clinic’s COURAGE Team, which develops policy solutions to combat gender-based violence in Miami-Dade County. As a clinic intern, she has presented the Clinic’s research at Florida’s Inaugural Statewide Meeting of Commissions on the Status of Women and Girls, the Human Rights in the Americas Symposium panel on South Florida’s Housing and Immigration Crisis: Challenges for GBV Survivors, and the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Council of Greater Miami’s bi-monthly meeting. She has also contributed research and writing to a forthcoming law review article on childhood sexual violence in the Americas.
Genice D. Nadal is a 2L born and raised in Miami, Florida. Her interest in applying human rights frameworks domestically grew from studying Philosophy in undergrad at Wesleyan University, where she confronted the contradiction between the United States’ leadership in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its failure to ratify most human rights treaties. This past summer, she interned at Legal Services of Greater Miami’s Tenants’ Rights Unit. On campus, Genice serves on the Public Interest Leadership Board, Race and Social Justice Law Review, Honor Council, and Society of Bar and Gavel. In the Clinic, Genice collaborates with community partners on projects examining dimensions of adequate housing and the impact of mega-sporting events on homelessness.
Meg Williams is a 2L who majored in English Literature at Boston University, with minors in French and English. Before coming to law school, she worked as an SEO content writer for popular fashion brands across Europe and the U.S. During her 1L summer, Meg interned at AEquitas, where she provided legal research for attorneys representing gender-based violence survivors. Meg is a member of the Human Rights Clinic’s Gender Justice & Work Rights team. The team's projects include supporting WeCount!'s Planting Justice campaign, which advocates for agricultural workers’ rights in South Florida. Additionally, the team works on addressing human rights violations against the LGBTQ+ community. Meg is also the Treasurer for the Human Rights Society and a member of the International Moot Court Program.
Yasmin Rizvi is a 2L who majored in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Her 1L summer, Yasmin served as a HOPE Summer Public Interest & Vasquez de Lara Fellow and interned at Americans for Immigrant Justice, where she helped survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault obtain immigration relief. Yasmin is a member of the Human Rights Clinic’s Gender Justice & Work Rights team. Her projects focus on supporting agricultural workers’ rights through research and advocacy for WeCount! and highlighting human rights violations against the LGBTQ+ community. Yasmin is the Social Chair for OUTLaw and the Advocacy Chair for If/When/How at the University of Miami School of Law.
Sharif Amastha is a 3L student born and raised in Miami, Florida. His passion for human rights and international law stems from his Colombian-Lebanese heritage and his family’s experience immigrating to the United States under asylum protections. Before law school, Sharif began working as a law clerk for a boutique law firm specializing in family law and criminal law. His work with survivors of domestic violence provided him with a new perspective on the intersection of human rights with other branches of the legal system. As a clinic fellow, Sharif is active in projects focused on combatting gender-based violence. He is researching laws and policies focusing on men as caregivers, including their role in impeding or strengthening gender equality and their impact on gender-based violence.
Clare Atkinson is a 3L originally from Upstate New York. She developed a passion for human rights while working in Geneva, Switzerland, studying diplomacy and international studies. During this time, she published a study on how gender plays a role in media coverage of politicians and discourages marginalized populations from running for office, which has inspired her to work in politics and advocate for equality. Before coming to law school, she worked for two members of Congress, and now on campus, is a part of the First-Generation Law Society and Miami Law Women in addition to being part of the Clinic. She also served a law clerk at a boutique family law firm where she assists in complex marriage dissolutions and custody cases, helping to find equitable solutions to complicated family issues. As an intern in the Clinic, Clare worked with the Gender Justice and Health team on advocacy with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to address forced sterilization. She was subsequently selected as a Human Rights Clinic fellow, where she is supporting this year’s Gender Justice & Work Rights team.
Wilmy Dessalines J.D. ’25 completed the Joint Degree JD/LL.M. program in Transnational Law at the University of Miami School of Law. As a lawyer in France, he served as a Litigation In-house Lawyer at Société Générale Bank in Paris, managing high-value cases and advising on legal and reputational risks. He also founded Bluesky, a startup providing funding solutions to corporations for their litigation costs. Moreover, he gained substantial experience as a Legal Auditor and Litigation In-house Lawyer at other financial institutions. He served as a Human Rights Clinic legal intern during the 2024-25 academic year, where he contributed to the Housing and Homelessness team’s efforts to address housing challenges impacting the U.S. and the Caribbean. He was subsequently selected as a Human Rights Clinic fellow during his last semester of law school, where he focused on homelessness in the Caribbean and mentored a new team of students.
See former student interns
