Project Analysts
Read about our current class of Project Analysts. E-mail them or check out their LinkedIn profiles to learn more about the program or to ask questions about recruiting.
Boston
Jorge Adames-Reyes graduated from Vassar College with departmental honors in 2023. He obtained a B.A. in International Studies, along with concentrations in Political Science and Education, and was recognized by the president and dean of the college for outstanding contributions to campus life during his time as an undergraduate. While at Vassar, Jorge interned at the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office and assisted on cases in the narcotics and major crimes divisions. He also worked as a research assistant for both the Anthropology and Latin American Studies departments at Vassar, and volunteered as a legal interpreter for Safe Passage Project in NYC, a non-profit that provides legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children. Through a Forest Foundation Fellowship, Jorge spent two summers working at the International Institute of New England (IINE) in Boston as a refugee case manager, connecting clients to essential services, delivering cultural orientation classes to new arrivals, and translating intake assessments in Spanish and Portuguese. Jorge was also a four-year member of the men’s volleyball team at Vassar, winning two conference championships and making multiple NCAA tournament runs. He worked as the school’s primary athletic photographer, served on the executive board of the school's Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and was awarded the athletic department’s student worker of the year award in 2023.
Grace Adebogun graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Boston University in 2024, where she received a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in English. In her studies, Grace took an interdisciplinary approach to her coursework as a member of Boston University’s Kilachand Honors College. In her final year, Grace received departmental honors for her Senior thesis and Honors College Keystone Project titled: “The News Media Blackbox: Media’s Relationship with Police Brutality Protests in America” in which she explored the biases in reporting tactics of news media outlets at the local, state, and federal levels and their impact on the reception of information relating to Police Brutality cases, including any subsequent effects on protest or mobilization activity for particular cases. While at Boston University, Grace served as the President of BU’s oldest and largest professional business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, and President of BU’s African Students Organization. Grace worked to equip students with professional development resources to propel their careers and create safe, well-resourced spaces on campus for minority students. Grace was also a part of the BU Moot Court team, where she competed in AMCA hosted competitions.
During her summers, Grace interned in the financial services industry to explore her interests in equities and investing. In Summer 2022, Grace interned at RBC Capital Markets in their equity research division, covering consumer and retail companies. In Summer 2023, Grace continued along this path at Morgan Stanley, where she also interned in equity research, this time on the telecommunications desk within the TMT research group. Between these roles during a semester abroad, Grace interned at Wainwright & Cummins LLP—a family, conveyancing, and criminal law firm in London, UK. In this role, Grace learned the inner workings of the English legal system while primarily assisting in the family department by preparing legal documents, attending hearings, and communicating with clients. In her free time, Grace enjoys instrumental music such as playing the keyboard at church, cooking, reading fiction novels, or following the latest sneaker news.
Francesca Barasch graduated magna cum laude and phi beta kappa from Columbia University in 2022 with a B.A. in History and Women's and Gender Studies. Francesca specialized in the history of crime and policing, earning departmental honors for the breadth and depth of her studies. Her undergraduate thesis, "The Privilege of Freedom: Disparities in Arrest and Sentencing Practices in Edgefield, South Carolina, 1865-1867," explored the local enforcement of the South Carolina Black Codes, a series of discriminatory laws, during early Reconstruction. This research was awarded the Albert Marion Elsberg Prize for excellence in modern history.
In 2023, Francesca earned her Master's of Studies in U.S. History from the University of Oxford. Her graduate dissertation, "A False Freedom: the Story of Discriminatory Courts in South Carolina, 1865-1868," detailed her discovery of racially segregated county courts. She analyzed the criminal arrests, trials, and sentencing practices of the Kershaw, Marlboro, Spartanburg, and Union County segregated courts, to argue that though the federal government intervened in the South to abolish these courts, they left a significant impact on the practices of local law enforcement in South Carolina.
During her time as an undergraduate, Francesca served as the president of the Planned Parenthood club and Columbia Historical Association, as well as conducted research in the Freedmen's Bureau archives for Civil War historian, Professor Stephanie McCurry. During her summers, Francesca interned at a boutique criminal defense law firm where she analyzed discovery, attended court and proffer calls, as well as drafted legal documents. In 2020, Francesca was a legislative intern for Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. In this role, she wrote policy memorandums on topics including the impact of racism on mental health, affordable housing, and federal restrictions on convicted felons.
Olivia Cohen graduated with honors from The University of Chicago in 2023, where she earned a BA in Global Studies with a minor in Human Rights. Collaborating with Professor Santana, president of the North American Catalan Society, Olivia’s senior thesis explored the effects of Catalonian language policy within the context of the Independence movement. Her research unraveled the complex dynamics and political frameworks concerning immigration, community, and national identity.
Throughout college, Olivia participated in Model UN where she helped organize and run both the high school and collegiate conferences hosted by UChicago. In her senior year, she served as Under-Secretary General for the UChicago collegiate Model UN conference. Olivia was also a member of Delta Gamma and served as her chapter’s inaugural Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Recognizing the historical inequalities associated with Greek Life, she established a needs-based scholarship fund to alleviate financial burdens, while also fostering regular roundtable discussions and educational programs to promote Diversity and Inclusion initiatives across Greek Life and the wider campus community.
Olivia interned at the Human Rights Initiative of North Dallas, gaining experience in immigration law with a specific focus on asylum and rights to healthcare. Olivia also worked for Voice for Refuge during her senior year, conducting policy research for campaigns endorsed by the organization. Her efforts primarily assisted immigrant and refugee candidates running for local, state, and federal positions in the 2022 general election.
Maya Lytje graduated from Duke University in 2023 with a B.A. in Public Policy and Linguistics and a certificate in Human Rights. At Duke, Maya conducted research on the Leave No One Behind principle of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and created an Excel-based application with the data that was presented during the Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship Fulbright Exchange program on Human Rights and Social Justice. On campus, Maya was also the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Borderless, Duke’s international relations journal, and the president of Define America, a student group focused on immigrant rights. She also worked for four years with the Kenan Institute for Ethics’ Citizenship Lab where she was paired with a local refugee family supporting them through weekly meetings, connecting them with resources, and providing mentorship for the children. From 2019-2020, Maya was selected as a Kenan Global Human Rights Scholar to write a monthly blog on the intersection of human rights and immigration. Beyond campus, Maya spent a year volunteering on Freedom for Immigrants’ National Immigration Detention Hotline.
In the summer of 2020, Maya was an immigration law intern with the Gauvin Law Firm. There she conducted intake interviews with clients and assisted them through the SIJS, U-Visa, and asylum application processes. In 2022, while studying in DC for a semester, Maya interned with the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Trainings, writing "Moments in Diplomatic History", editing a book manuscript for a retired foreign service officer, and developing lesson plans for teaching diplomatic history. After a two-year deferral period, Maya will be attending Harvard Law School.
Tanya Martinez graduated magna cum laude from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Public Policy Studies a minor in Human Rights. Tanya earned honors for her senior thesis titled, “‘Que no Haya Duda’: Linguistic Barriers and Documentation Status in the Construction of Latinx Immigrants’ Perception of Suburban Policing.” As an undergraduate, Tanya was actively involved at the UChicago Law School, working on research relating to affirmative action and academic freedom in Latin America, and interning with the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (IRC) in her fourth year. While at the IRC, she served as a Spanish interpreter for the legal clinic and assisted in the preparation of immigration forms. Tanya also worked closely with a team of law students on an Immigration Court trial. She cultivated relationships with the Spanish-speaking respondent and family; compiled sources on country conditions in Honduras; and drafted translated declarations for key witness testimonies. The trial was held in May 2023 and the team was proud to report their client was granted a deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture.
In the summer of 2022, Tanya interned with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), researching and writing memos on topics including barriers to access to Illinois courts for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) speakers and mandatory versus permissive kindergarten across the Midwest. Tanya has previously interned for the Latino Donor Collaborative, Small Business Advocacy Council, and GirlForward. On campus, Tanya served as President of New Americans, a student-run organization providing tutoring services to immigrants preparing for their naturalization exam. In her free time, Tanya enjoys spending time with her family’s new puppy named Panchito, watching movies, and exploring new bookstores.
Wish Pandey graduated summa cum laude from Boston University in 2024 with a B.A. in International Relations and a minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Her undergraduate research explored how the joint family model impacts the way Nepali diaspora members understand and shape their family lives today. In Fall 2024, she received a BU Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Award for her research. In college, Wish also served as President of BU Diversity in Law Association, Senior Supervisor of BU Development and Alumni Relations, and a Her Campus BU Writer and Editor.
During the summers of 2021 and 2023, Wish interned at Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) Boston, where she gained hands-on experience, including clinical experience, in Family, Consumer, and Bankruptcy Law. In Fall 2022, she studied abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, where she took classes on International Law and International Organizations while interning at the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) Alliance. In Spring 2024, Wish continued her commitment to service by volunteering at a school in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Shruthi Sriram graduated magna cum laude from Boston College with a dual Bachelor of Arts in History and Economics. Her senior thesis received a Scholar of the College distinction, the university’s highest honor for independent research. Her project titled “Comrade Journalists — The Vanguard of the Revolutionary State” analyzed the developing scope and impact of the American Communist Press throughout the 20th century. She was awarded a grant to conduct archival research across the country for this project, where she looked at old reports in the American Communist press on leftist revolutions happening globally. She received the Carol Petillo Award from the department for specialization in U.S. foreign policy, biography, and feminist issues.
During the summer of 2022, Shruthi interned with the Boston College Innocence Project, a clinic out of BC Law School working to exonerate wrongfully incarcerated individuals. She contributed to legal research on various client cases, alongside a team of law students and a lead attorney. During the summer of 2023, Shruthi interned with S.T.O.P. (the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project) in New York City, a grassroots non-profit that engages in legal and social advocacy to create oversight on discriminatory surveillance technology. Here, she was given a chance to testify in front of the New York Committee on Technology.
While at BC, Shruthi spent a lot of her time involved with service. She worked on the council of a service learning program PULSE, and as a part of the organization, worked for a year at the non-profit Project Citizenship, a pro-bono immigration clinic. Here, she helped clients complete citizenship applications. She also co-founded a Mindfulness Club on campus with a service component, helping to teach mindfulness classes at the Suffolk County House of Corrections and the St. Francis House Homeless Shelter. She was selected to lead her class chapter of the Order of the Cross and Crown, a service-based honor society.
During her free time, Shruthi loves listening to music and watching movies, going to museums, and spending time outdoors.
Julia Yanez graduated Magna Cum Laude with Highest Honors from Harvard College with a B.A. in Social Studies, a minor in Global Health and Health Policy, and a citation in Romance Languages and Literatures.
During the peak of Covid-19, Julia took a voluntary gap-year from school where she worked directly in pandemic response. Julia served as a Case Management Intern with the International Rescue Committee where she connected recent migrants with socio-medical-and legal support. She then went on to campaign for the 2020 election, where she encouraged voter-turnout in swing-states. Julia continued expanding her interest in law as a Policy Analyst with Friends of the Global Fund and as an Analyst for a pro-bono consulting firm seeking to address inequalities emerging from the pandemic.
Upon returning to Harvard after her gap-year, Julia was recognized as a Harvard Global Health Institute Cordeiro Fellow and a National Mellon Mays Foundation Fellow for her research on Covid-19 policy. Situated at the nexus of law, medicine, and history she explored the complexity and implications of unequal pandemic responses through global legislative initiatives. Culminating to her honors senior thesis, Julia received Highest Departmental Honors for her project titled, “The Myth of Solidarity in Epidemic Response and Preparedness.” In addition to academic research, Julia was a co-founder and President of the Harvard Undergraduate Women in Law Society and held several executive positions for Harvard Latinas Unidas and the Latina Empowerment And Development Conference. Julia also facilitated her dorm’s public service initiatives in partnership with the Phillips Brooks House Association, supported the Harvard Ceramics Program in Quincy House, and was a staff-writer for the Harvard Crimson.
In her downtime, Julia loves to read, travel, spend time outdoors, and explore gastronomy.
Judy Zhang graduated summa cum laude and phi beta kappa from the University of Chicago in 2024 with a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy and a minor in Human Rights. She received department honors for her senior thesis, “Suing Against Genocide: A Critical Analysis of the International Court of Justice’s Role in Redressing the Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar,” where she utilized a political theory lens and postcolonial logics to examine the effectiveness of international legal frameworks in ensuring accountability for human rights violations such as genocide.
As an undergraduate, Judy worked as a Research Assistant at UChicago Law School where she examined the legal characteristics of international organizations as well as anti-discriminatory language in constitutions in Southeast Asian countries. In the summer of 2023, Judy was selected as one of five students to participate in the American Bar Foundation’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. There, she received invaluable insight from scholars in sociolegal studies and engaged in critical dialogue with faculty whose research was published in the Journal of Law and Social Inquiry. Aside from her research experience, Judy has previously interned in the summers for U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, the nonprofit Illinois Public Interest Research Group, and volunteered for Legal Aid Chicago as part of their Fair Housing Project. On campus, Judy worked in the Careers in Law office by helping students find internships and organizing mentorship events. She also competed for her college’s Mock Trial team, placing 2nd and 5th at Nationals. In her free time, Judy enjoys crossword puzzles, reading, hiking, the occasional pickleball, and finding the best coffee shop in town.
New York
Isabel Coberly graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University in 2024 with a B.A. in Political Science and History. During college, she explored her interest in the law through internships at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia, both of which were supported by the Political Science Department’s Phyllis Stevens Sharp Fellowship in American Politics. She has also worked with various organizations dedicated to advancing the Equal Rights Amendment—as an advocate, legal researcher, and youth leader in support of constitutional gender equality.
On campus at Columbia, Isabel worked as a research assistant in the Political Science Department on political theory scholarship. She served as the Journal Director of the Columbia Policy Institute, which publishes a yearly collection of student-written progressive policy proposals, and also as a Lead Editor of the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review. She was also the co-chair of the Student Advisory Board for the Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights, where she coordinated and moderated justice-oriented programming for the undergrad community.
Megha Nelivigi graduated from the University of Michigan in 2024 with a B.A. in International Studies, concentrating in International Security, Norms, and Cooperation. As a liberal arts student, Megha took an interdisciplinary approach to her studies, but concentrated heavily on criminal justice, conflict, and human rights issues. Megha was an active member of the premier law fraternity at the University of Michigan, Kappa Alpha Pi, serving as a new member service chair and Wellness chair. Megha also worked as a research assistant in the sociology department, as well as in the School of Nursing. For her work on a project entitled "Using a Trauma-Informed Carte Lens to Explore College Students' Inappropriate, Disrespectful, and Coercive (IDC) Healthcare Interactions," Megha was co-awarded the 2024 Outstanding Scholarly Project Award.
Off campus, Megha was an intern at the Asian American Bar Association of New York and worked for a US Senate campaign. Megha was also a Member Services Intern for the Michigan House of Representatives, where she was a legislative canvasser in frontline districts, aiming to help increase involvement in state government and encourage voter participation. Megha also has experience volunteering for a non-profit dedicated to providing legal representation and mental health support for those navigating retaliatory domestic violence cases. Additionally, Megha tutored elementary-aged students at a local afterschool center in Ann Arbor.
In her free time, Megha enjoys reading, doing the crossword, and spending time outdoors.
Caroline Koclanes graduated summa cum laude from the University of Chicago in 2023 with a B.S. in Mathematics, a B.A. in Economics, and a minor in Inequality, Social Problems, and Change. While at the University of Chicago, Caroline explored the intersection of law and public service and was heavily involved with the Institute of Politics. Specifically, she led creative writing workings for incarcerated youth at Illinois Youth Center, delivered on-site voting rights trainings to incarcerated individuals at Cook County Jail, and served as Co-President of UChiVotes, the student-led, non-partisan voting initiative at UChicago. Caroline also participated in research with Dr. Susan Lambert studying how managers structure and schedule jobs and the effect of the pandemic on hourly low-wage employees and employers. In addition to her focus on policy, Caroline served as Co-Chair of the Society of Women+ in Math, led the second violin section as Principal in the University Symphony Orchestra, and studied abroad at the West African Research Center in Dakar, Senegal.
Off-campus, Caroline interned as a Client Advocate at the Orleans Public Defenders. Here, she conducted intake assessments of incarcerated clients daily to analyze their needs and develop mitigation defenses, re-entry plans, and release plans, gaining substantial experience within the criminal legal system. Caroline also interned for U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse and acquired campaign experience working on gubernatorial and municipal campaigns in Massachusetts.
Washington D.C.
Nicole Y. Teo graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College in 2024 with a B.A. in Government. At Smith, Nicole was selected as a Jean Picker Fellow for the summer and fall of 2022. During this fellowship, she served as a legislative intern in Washington, DC, for Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, focusing primarily on foreign policy issues. She then interned with the Rules Committee Staff (Office of the General Counsel) at the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, where she supported the work of six Judicial Conference committees tasked with amending the rules of practice and procedure in federal court. As part of her fellowship, she also completed an independent research project on US congressional engagement with Taiwan.
On campus, Nicole served as Co-President of the Smith College Pre-Law Society and as a Chinese tutor and grader. She also worked as a research assistant and lab manager for the East Asian Politics lab, supporting Dr. Sara Newland's research on Chinese politics and subnational diplomacy between the US and Taiwan. Additionally, during her junior year, Nicole studied in Singapore at Yale-NUS College as an exchange student, focusing on international relations and foreign policy in Southeast Asia.
In the summer of 2023, Nicole continued to expand her professional experience in the Judiciary by interning in the Clerk’s Office at the Supreme Court of the United States. This experience reaffirmed to her the importance of public service and strengthened her commitment to promoting equity in access to justice. While in DC, Nicole spent her weekends volunteering at the Chinese American Museum near DuPont Circle.
Matthew Tikhonovsky graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia, where he studied Political Science. He founded and served as the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Undergraduate Law Review at Georgia, where he promoted active dialogue about current Supreme Court cases on campus. Through a research position at the School of Public and International Affairs, he contributed to a forthcoming journal article on asymmetrical territorial disputes. His love of service led him to serve as the co-President of Refugee Outreach, a campus group that supports the local refugee community, and work as a writing tutor at UGA’s Writing Center.
To further explore the legal system, Matthew interned at the Eastern Judicial Circuit of the Georgia Public Defender Council and Dentons’ Public Policy practice in Washington D.C. These experiences taught him the challenges—and rewards—of striving to realize legal ideals in practice.