Category: 2017

Emily A. Welch ’19 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law.  Ms. Welch earned Bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Communication as well as a Master’s in Public Administration at Villanova University.  During her time at Villanova, Emily held various immigration-related internships, including presenting in Spanish at the Mexican Consulate regarding taxpayer rights and responsibilities as well as providing legal interpreter services.  At Temple, Emily co-leads the Mindfulness in Law Society.

In Washington, Ms. Welch is working in the Office of Legal Access Programs in the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review.  There, she is supporting programs that work with immigration courts throughout the country to increase representation and information dissemination in order to ensure a just and efficient process.  Emily is passionate about international human rights and public access to legal resources.

Brian W. Thomas ’18 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. He works at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Trading and Markets as a Student Honors Program intern. A native of Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Brian earned his B.S. from Boston College, where he majored in both marketing and English. Prior to law school, Brian spent four years in Investor Services at Brown Brothers Harriman. He worked last summer as a legal intern in Deutsche Bank’s legal department. As an assistant to Professor Jonathan Lipson, Brian researched non-plan settlements in chapter 11 bankruptcy. Brian plans to spend this summer exploring his interest in securities market regulation.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Steven A. Johnston graduated from La Salle University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and American History and with a minor in Leadership and Global Understanding. As a Temple Law and Public Policy Scholar, Steven is interning with the National LGBTQ Task Force as a Holley Law Fellow. Steven also competes as a member of the Moot Court team and clerked in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania last summer. In addition to his school work, Steven coaches a high school mock trial team in Philadelphia and has founded an advocacy organization for Philadelphia bisexuals. Steven’s policy interests include HIV and AIDS public funding for research and public health as well as utilizing the private sector to secure LGBTQ employment protections.

Alison N. Smeallie is a 2017 Law and Public Policy Scholar at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. Alison graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.A. in History and minors in Legal Studies and Political Science. Alison was a student at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen during the Fall of 2015 where she studied Justice and Human Rights with a focus in International Law.

While a Law and Public Policy Scholar, Alison is working as a legal intern for AEquitas, a non-profit that serves as a prosecutor’s resource on sexual violence and violence against women. Her policy interests are centered around the intersection between criminal justice reform and juvenile justice.

At Temple Law, Alison is a recipient of the Law Faculty Scholarship as well as a Student Public Interest Network grant. Alison serves as an oralist and brief writer for the International Criminal Court Moot Court Team, the treasurer of the International Law Society, a staff editor for the Political and Civil Rights Society, and the chair of the student week against mass incarceration for the National Lawyers Guild.

Devon Roberson ‘19 grew up in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, and is an avid Blues and Cardinals fan. He attended college at the University of Missouri—St. Louis, where he studied public policy and administration with an emphasis in healthcare policy. He also conducted independent research on the role of courts in innovating and diffusing public policy. At Temple, he served as a 1L Senator to the Student Bar Association. Next year, he will serve as the American Bar Association Student Representative on SBA’s Board of Governors as well as serving as Vice President of the Temple Environmental Law Society.

This summer, he is working at Schwartz & Ballen LLP, a boutique financial services firm. His policy interests include financial regulation and environmental policy.

Noelia Rivera-Calderón ’19 is a Beasley Scholar, Diaz Scholar, and 2017 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Ms. Rivera-Calderón earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Studies Education at Boston University, where she became interested in the intersection of education and children’s autonomy. After graduating, Ms. Rivera-Calderón worked for several years as a middle school teacher, where she saw the effects of law and policy in the lives of her students and became interested in advocating for children on a larger scale. At Temple, she is the 2017-2018 Program Director of the School Discipline Advocacy Service (SDAS), an organization through which law students act as advocates for Philadelphia K-12 students in school disciplinary proceedings. Outside of Temple, she continues to coach debate at the school where she used to teach. In Washington, D.C., Ms. Rivera-Calderón is a Law Clerk at the National Juvenile Defender Center. After graduating law school, she hopes to build a career advocating for children in law and policy.

Cameron Redfern ’19 is a Law and Public Policy Scholar at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. Originally from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Cameron earned their B.S. in Sociology, with minors in Gender Studies and Leadership, Ethics, and Organizational Sustainability at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. Throughout their time at Saint Joseph’s, Cameron completed a thesis entitled “Creating Safe Spaces: LGBTQ Inclusion on College Campuses,” in which they conducted both qualitative and quantitative analysis of LGBTQ student access in higher education.

Prior to law school, Cameron was an Associate with Iannucci Consulting, a diversity and inclusion consulting company. While there, Cameron aided in the development of the company’s first Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming training curriculum. In addition to curriculum creation, Cameron presented throughout the United States and Europe on LGBTQ inclusion in University and work environments.

Cameron is spending their summer in Washington D.C. as a McCleary Law Fellow with the Human Rights Campaign where they are furthering their interest in LGBTQ Rights, Education Reform and Criminal Justice.

Benjamin Quintana ’18 is a Beasley Scholar and Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Mr. Quintana graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in History and Political Science and a minor in Economics. Mr. Quintana interned for the Honorable Emil Giordano during the summer of 2016. At Temple Law, he was a Staff Editor on the Temple Law Review during the ’16-’17 school year and was recently accepted into Temple’s Federal Judicial Clerkship Honors Program.

As a Law & Public Policy Scholar, Mr. Quintana is interning with Internet2, a nonprofit computer networking consortium that operates the nation’s largest and fastest research and education network. His policy interests include telecommunications regulations, internet privacy, education reform, and international trade law. More specifically, Mr. Quintana hopes to research the intersection between public education and access to a free and fair internet.

Shannon A. McGuire ’19 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she is on the board of the Latin American Law Student Association and chair of the Immigration and Human Rights Committee of the National Lawyers Guild. Shannon graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Applied Economics and minor in Spanish. Having grown up in Pensacola, Florida, Shannon brings a unique perspective from small-town “Red America” to big-city “Blue America” where she is determined to reconcile the divide on policy issues that should be non-partisan.

Before law school, Shannon spent several years teaching English to middle school and high school students in Peru and Spain. In addition to expanding her worldview, these experiences gave her the opportunity to travel and volunteer in many countries. Her time volunteering during the refugee crisis in Lesvos, Greece, strengthened Shannon’s commitment to protect the most vulnerable through legal policy. As a Law and Public Policy Scholar, Shannon works as an asylum and refugee legal intern with the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Her policy interests involve economic development and migration issues, specifically poverty reduction in developing economies and children’s rights.

Brandon Maitlen ’18 will be interning with the United States Navy JAG Corps this summer. He has also accepted a professional recommendation to join the Navy JAG Corps upon the completion of his studies.

Mr. Maitlen is from Fairbanks, Alaska, where he completed his undergraduate education. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and a Master of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Before beginning law school, Mr. Maitlen worked for the State of Alaska in a variety of roles, including assistant legislative director and boards and commissions assistant in the Office of the Governor, and most recently handled special projects for the Department of Administration. Early in his career, he worked on the personal staff of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens.