Tyler Johnson (she/her/hers) graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Justice with a minor in Africana Studies. Upon graduation, she received the Humanities and Justice award for her thesis “Mother Nature Disturbed: Understanding Slow Violence, Environmental Racism, and Feminism through the works of Zora Neale Hurston,…
Alec Jessar (he/him/his) earned his J.D. at the Washington University School of Law, where he participated in the Immigration Law Clinic and externed with ArchCity Defenders in the civil litigation department. At WashU, Alec was recognized with an Equal Justice Works Award for his involvement in public interest work in the St. Louis area. He…
Ashley Alan Taylor (she/her/hers) received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. During law school, she participated in the Challenging the Consequences of Mass Incarceration Clinic and Capital Post-Conviction Defense Practicum as well as externships at The Bronx Defenders and The Center for Appellate Litigation. She…
Barbara Frasier (she/her/hers) received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. While in law school, Barbara interned with the Criminal Defense and Advocacy Clinic to help domestic violence survivors that were charged with homicide apply for re-sentencing under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act. During her 2L summer, Barbara participated in the Sonia & Celina Sotomayor…
Brooke Edwards (she/her/hers) received her J.D. from Stanford Law School where she participated in the Youth and Education Law Project representing children and families in special education proceedings. While in law school, Brooke was involved on the boards of the Black Law Students Association, Women of Color Collective, and the Youth and Education Advocates. During…
Daniel Kim (he/him/his) graduated from the New York University School of Law. During law school, Dan was a student advocate in the Immigrant Rights Clinic for two years, co-president of the Unemployment Action Center and a public interest co-chair in the Asian-Pacific American Law Student Association. He spent his summer internships with the Queens Defenders…
Desseray Wright (she/her/hers) is a parent who’s been directly affected by the family regulation system and has since dedicated herself to abolishing it. She graduated from Hostos Community College at the top of her class earning her Associate’s in Criminal Justice. Before joining The Bronx Defenders, she earned a fellowship with the National Council for…
Eli Salamon-Abrams (he/him/his) graduated cum laude from Fordham Law School, where he was a Stein Scholar and received the Ann Moynihan award for clinical work. He participated in Fordham’s Criminal Defense Clinic, representing individuals charged with misdemeanors in Manhattan and an incarcerated individual appealing a parole denial. While in law school, Eli interned with the…
Ella Nalepka (she/her/hers) received her J.D. from CUNY School of Law. While at CUNY, she was a student attorney with the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) clinic, where she worked with individuals targeted by the surveillance state under the guise of national security. During law school, Ella also had the opportunity to intern…
Fatima Youssef (she/her/hers) received her J.S. from CUNY School of Law, where she participated in moot court, trial practice, and served as the Muslim Legal Students Association (MLSA) President. Fatima was also part of the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility (CLEAR) clinic which focuses on post-9/11 policies impacting Muslims such as surveillance and no-fly…
Grace Powell (she/her/hers) earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. During her 1L and 2L summers, Grace interned at the Federal Defenders in the Southern District of New York and at the Bronx Defenders. After law school, she clerked for two years for United States District Court Judge Stefan Underhill in…
Anthony (he/him) supports The Bronx Defenders through strategic communications, bringing nearly a decade of experience fighting to protect people from detention, deportation, and displacement. Prior to joining The Bronx Defenders, Anthony oversaw communications for immigration advocacy at the Vera Institute of Justice. There he helped lead a coalition that stopped the Biden administration from terminating…
Naomi (she/her/hers) received her J.D. from the New York University School of Law, where she was a Florence Allen Scholar and research criminal law and environmental justice issues. During law school, she interned at the New Hampshire Public Defender and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. Naomi holds a Bachelor’s in German Studies and Global Studies from…
Alyssa (she/her/hers) graduated cum laude with a J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law. During law school, Alyssa was a student attorney in the Criminal Defense Clinic where she represented adults accused of committing misdemeanor offenses in Rhode Island. She was also a member of Trial Team and a participant in trial competitions, and performed…
Caitlyn Forrester-Johnson (she/her/hers) received her J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law, where she was a student attorney in the Criminal Defense Clinic, served as the 1L Representative and Treasurer for the Black Law Students Association (BLSA), competed in both domestic and international competitions with the Moot Court Team, and externed in the United States District Court…
Marla Trinidad (she/her/hers) received her J.D./M.A. from The Ohio State University, where she served as the Executive Director for the Pro Bono Research Group, an organization that paired local public interest attorneys with law students who completed research projects to assist the attorneys in their representation of low-income clients. During her tenure in law school, Marla volunteered with…
Sarah Smith (she/her/hers) has devoted her legal career to advocacy and policy reform aimed at fighting for justice for families and people with disabilities. She began her legal career at the Bronx Defenders in 2007 during the first year of our Family Defense Practice. She later worked as a Senior Program Attorney with National Council of…
Isaac (he/him/his) graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude with highest honors with a Bachelor’s in Physics and Mathematics. He is passionate about social justice and excited to contribute to the vision of The Bronx Defenders.
Christopher Junior (he/him/his) received his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he was a Pro Bono Scholar and Pro Bono Promoter award winner for his work in the public interest sector. At Cardozo, he was also the executive editor of the ADR Honor Society, a founding member of the Public Interest Law School…
Katherine Kim (she/her/hers) graduated with honors from Columbia Law School, where she was awarded the Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Student Award. Prior to joining The Bronx Defenders, Katherine represented individuals in detained removal proceedings as a supervising attorney and staff attorney in the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project at The Legal Aid Society….
Amelia (she/they/them) has extensive work and volunteer experience working against the detention and deportation of migrants. Prior to joining The Bronx Defenders, she supported Human Rights Watch’s Business and Human Rights division working to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses; spent 18 months working in Europe’s southern border in Morocco doing migrant solidarity organizing and research; and…
Maya Paris-Saper (she/her/hers) graduated from Sarah Lawrence College where her academic studies focused on History, Sociology, Urban Studies and Global Health. Maya has many years of experience in non-profit and justice work, from leading programming on race and class and facilitating educational interventions for youth to working in finance and operations for 501c3 organizations. Prior to joining…
Genevieth Vargas (she/her/hers) earned her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work, where she minored in Law and had a concentration in Advanced Generalist Practice and Programming with a focus on Contemporary Social Issues. During her time at Columbia, Genevieth interned at Federal Defenders of New York, Eastern District,…
Wanda (she/her/hers) received her Master of Social Work from Lehman College. She is originally from the Bronx and excited to be working at The Bronx Defenders helping her community.