Category: 2015

Paul Lewis ’16 is a student at Temple University Beasley School of Law and a 2015 Law and Public Policy Scholar. While in Washington, Mr. Lewis spent his summer as a Law Clerk for the Federal Practice Group. His law and policy interests include National Security, and the relationship between advancing technology and law enforcement techniques. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Lewis worked as a law clerk at the law firm of White and Williams LLP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, he was involved in at least twenty (20) different jurisdictions, worked with fourteen (14) different insurance carriers, fifteen (15) different professional expert organizations, and carried a few of the fifty-five (55) cases from beginning to close.

Mr. Lewis is a graduate of LaSalle College Preparatory High School in Pennsylvania. He earned a B.A. in International Business and a minor in Marketing at the Franciscan University of Steubenville Ohio, where he played division three rugby coming in third place in nationals, studied abroad for a year in Gaming, Austria traveling over 13 different countries, and served as a participant in the homeless ministry.

Miriam Abaya ’17 is a student at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Ms. Abaya came from her home in Nigeria to Haverford College, where she graduated in 2014 with a degree in Music, concentrating in composition. She spent her 2013 spring semester studying music in Vienna, Austria. As a result of her unique experiences in Nigeria, Miriam entered law school to affect change in the international human rights arena. While at law school, Ms. Abaya has been an active member of the International Law Society and the Black Law Students Association.

Ms. Abaya’s law and policy interests include international human rights and African law. As a Law & Public Scholar, she will be interning with the Office of Immigration Litigation at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Steven P. Barsamian II ’16 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. While in Washington, Mr. Barsamian spent his summer as a Summer Honors Intern for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Corporation Finance. His law and policy interests include financial regulation and consumer protection. He is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College where he received a B.A. in Business, Organizations, and Society. Before arriving at Temple, Mr. Barsamian worked at Oppenheimer and Co. Inc. where he was involved in municipal bond trading and research.  He also spent time working at GAP International, Inc. a global management-consulting firm where he was an integral member of a six-person management team responsible for launching, managing and ensuring delivery of all quality outcomes for more than fifty simultaneous global projects.

Tessa Carson ’17 is a student at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, and a 2015 Law & Public Policy Scholar. While in D.C., Ms. Carson is working as a legal fellow for the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), to promote reproductive health and rights of women globally through U.S. policy reform. Her policy focus is sexual and reproductive health and rights, including the intersection between reproductive health and immigration. Ms. Carson graduated magna cum laude from Eastern University with a B.A. in Sociology. While at Eastern, Ms. Carson was a member of the Templeton Honors College and an intern for Pamoza International, a non-profit community development organization based in Malawi, Africa. Prior to law school Ms. Carson worked as a research assistant for Eastern University’s Agora Institute, and later as a research assistant at the Templeton Foundation in the Programs and Evaluation Department. During this time she also volunteered at the Women’s Law Project (WLP) in the Telephone Counseling Unit, providing legal information to pro se litigants in matters of family law and sexual rights issues. At Temple, Ms. Carson is a co-chair of the Harm Reduction Committee and a member of the National Lawyers Guild.

Melissa Castillo ’17 is a student at Temple University Beasley School of Law and a 2015 Law & Public Policy Scholar. Ms. Castillo is currently on the executive board of the International Law Society as Vice President for Special Events. Prior to law school, Ms. Castillo earned a B.S. in Communications at the University of Miami and majored in Journalism and International Studies. While at the University of Miami, Ms. Castillo served as President for the Society of Professional Journalists and interned at The Miami Herald. Ms. Castillo chose to pursue a law degree due to her interest in international law and passion to enhance society on a global scale. She also has a strong interest in public service in order to improve society and the lives of others through the government. Ms. Castillo is spending her 2015 summer at the Department of Justice, Office of Immigration Litigation, while working on her policy paper on ways to improve national security policy in relation to combatting terrorism and stabilizing other nations.

Sela Cowger ’17 is a student at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she is a Beasley Scholar, a Rubin-Presser Public Interest Scholar, and a Law & Public Policy Scholar. She serves as a fellow with the Institute for International Law and Public Policy and is the Vice-President of International Law Society and Co-Chair of the Immigration & Human Rights Committee of the Temple Law Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.

Ms. Cowger earned her B.A. with departmental distinction and University honors from the University of Chicago with a major in political science. She was awarded the 2011 Ignacio Martin-Barro award for writing the best undergraduate paper related to human rights. She was also selected as a Public and Social Service Scholar for her dedication to public service and was awarded a Jeff Metcalf Fellowship with the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, where she served as a guardian ad litem for unaccompanied immigrant children. Prior to law school, Ms. Cowger worked as an English language instructor in Fukushima, Japan with the Japan Education Teaching Program (JET).

As a Law & Public Policy Scholar, she is a policy and advocacy intern at the National Immigration Forum. Her work includes conducting research and tracking legislation on immigration topics such as border security, enforcement of immigration laws in the interior, detention of immigrants, and related appropriations. In her spare time, Ms. Cowger is passionate about ending family detention and volunteers her time assisting attorneys representing immigrant families in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Scott Dion ’17 is a 2015 Law & Public Policy Scholar and a student at Temple University Beasley School of Law.  Mr. Dion graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014 with a B.S. in Economics.  Prior to law school, Mr. Dion interned in the Office of Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick in Washington, D.C.  As a Law & Public Policy Scholar, Mr. Dion interned with the Department of Justice, Office of Immigration Litigation – Appellate Section.  His law and policy interest, derived from his background in economics, is energy.

Elizabeth C. Dolce ’17 is a 2015 Law and Public Policy Scholar at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. Ms. Dolce earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Temple University, and while pursuing her undergraduate degree, she interned at Philadelphia-based publishing companies. Before coming to law school, Ms. Dolce worked for a vocational/disability expert proofreading his reports submitted for personal injury, medical malpractice, and employment cases. She also did research for and edited certifying body-approved continuing education articles about occupational disability and vocational assessment. During this work, she developed an interest in health care law, and she is now a member of Temple Law School’s Health Law Society. As a Law and Public Policy Scholar, Ms. Dolce is interning with the Aviation and Admiralty Section in the Torts Branch, Civil Division, of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Stephanie Grey ’17 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. Ms. Grey is active in several student organizations including the Business Law Society and Philadelphia Legal Network. She also serves on Temple Law’s Business Law Society Executive Board. Prior to law school, Ms. Grey earned a B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland. Ms. Grey rowed for the Women’s Crew Team during her time as an undergraduate student. Ms. Grey is spending her summer as an intern at the Department of Justice, Aviation and Admiralty Division. Her primary policy interest for the summer is about reducing sexual violence on college campuses.

Kelsey Grimes ’17 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. She is working at the National Abortion Federation (NAF) in D.C. to advocate for abortion care access across the country. Ms. Grimes is the Co-Chair of Temple Law Students for Reproductive Justice (TULSRJ) and has a strong commitment to protecting a woman’s right to choice and her autonomy over her own body. Her primary policy interest this summer is comparing the 20 week abortion bans passed at the state and federal levels and how those restrictions negatively affect abortion care access. Ms. Grimes’ other interests include the influence of pseudoscience and its role in shaping dialogue and policy about abortion care. Ms. Grimes graduated magna cum laude from Bryn Mawr College with a B.A. in Psychology. She specialized in ethnic and political conflict and was awarded a grant from the Center for Peace and Global citizenship to conduct on site research in Indonesia about the 1965 genocide. Through this experience, Ms. Grimes gained a strong desire to protect human rights and push for gender equity. This drive influences Ms. Grimes’ passion for reproductive justice and desire to advocate for women’s health.