Category: 2023 Executive Scholars

Jennifer Ding is a second-year law student at Temple University where she is a Beasley Scholar and a Law & Public Policy Scholar. Jennifer serves as the Executive Editor for Volume 38 of the Temple International & Comparative Law Journal. Jennifer has a B.S. in Business and Management and a M.S. in Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to law school, Jennifer worked in a variety of roles in small technology companies. This summer, Jennifer will be interning as a Summer Associate in the Employee Relations group at Comcast.  

Josephine Messina (she/her/hers) LAW ’24 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Prior to law school, she graduated from the James Madison University Honors College in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Statistics. Her undergraduate thesis, “Regulating the Right to Bear Arms: A Statistical Analysis of Gun Control Policies and Gun Violence in the United States,” won the JMU 2021 Mathematics & Statistics Undergraduate Research Award.  

Since beginning law school, Josephine had the opportunity to work as a legal intern for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Division. Most recently, Josephine worked as a legal intern at the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia, where she assisted low-income transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming clients in filing to change their legal names. Next year, Josephine will serve as the Executive Articles Editor for the Temple International & Comparative Law Journal Volume 38. 

As a L&PP Scholar, Josephine will work as a legal intern with the HIV, STI, and Harm Reduction Policy Team at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), a nonprofit organization in Washington D.C. dedicated to improving the health of communities by strengthening and advocating for local health departments. Her policy interests include criminal justice reform and public health law, with a specific focus on LGBTQIA+ rights, harm reduction, and reproductive justice. 

Michael Matthews LAW ‘25 is a 2023 Law and Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Michael graduated with Honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2015 with a B.S. in Law and Legal Studies. While at West Point, Michael penned and defended his thesis concerning viable options for the prosecution of transnational terrorists in a world without military commissions. Michael is involved in Temple Law’s Veterans Law,  International Law, and Tax and Bankruptcy societies. 

 Prior to law school, Michael served in the Active Duty Army for over six years. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, Michael ultimately achieved the rank of Captain. The majority of his military career was spent serving in the 101st Airborne Division with whom he deployed to Afghanistan in 2016-17 in support of the NATO mission- Inherent Resolve. His service also saw time spent leading soldiers in South Korea and across the nation in Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Washington State. 

 This summer, Michael is working with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. His policy interests include national security, veterans’ services, and international law. 

Shaw Coneybeare, LAW ’24, is a 2023 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law where he serves as 2L Class President.  

Shaw was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, before moving to California in 2010. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, majoring in Canadian legal studies. Before coming to Temple Law, Shaw worked on the 2019 Canadian Federal Election and during the COVID-19 Pandemic he volunteered as a social media manager to help network survivors of the pandemic and spread awareness of “long-haul” COVID.   

At Temple, Shaw has served in externships for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and the Defense Logistics Agency, Troop Support. As a Law and Public Policy Scholar, he will be serving over the summer as a 2L certified intern at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office to gain advocacy experience and work with prosecutors who are ensuring justice is done while keeping the people of the city safe.  Shaw’s policy interests include international economic relations, criminal justice, space law, and national security.  

Joshua Friedman is a 2023 Law and Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. They serve as the Co-President for Temple’s Housing Justice Initiative. Joshua graduated from Indiana University in 2015 with a B.A. in Jewish Studies and Political Science. Prior to attending law school, Joshua worked for four years as a case manager assisting low-income communities with housing stabilization services. During that time, they also volunteered with Philly Thrive, an organization committed to combating environmental racism and the harmful impacts of the former-PES refinery.  

This summer, Joshua will be working as a Legal Intern at the Office of Criminal Justice and Public Safety with the City of Philadelphia. They are committed to prioritizing community engagement and supporting families most impacted by the criminal justice system. 

Julia Rankin LAW ’25 is a 2023 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Julia graduated from George Mason University in 2018 with a B.A. in Forensic Psychology and a minor in Criminology.  

After college, Julia worked a variety of jobs before transitioning into the legal field. She was then employed at Simeone & Miller, LLP, a personal injury firm in Washington, D.C., as a Litigation Paralegal. During this time, Julia also volunteered with the National Center for Victims of Crime’s hotline.  

Julia’s policy interests include mental health reform, juvenile justice, criminal defense, decarceration, and criminal justice reform (with particular focus on issues surrounding the death penalty). This summer, Julia will be working at the Temple Legal Aid Office with Professor Katz in the family law litigation clinic.  

 Thomas McGann LAW ‘25 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Thomas graduated cum laude from Drexel University with a B.S. in Biological Sciences in 2016. He then served with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps before graduating from the University of Leeds with a M.S. in International Health in 2018. Thomas worked with an international NGO providing rebuild services after natural disasters, becoming Program Director in 2020 to close out the relief commitment made to the Texas Coastal Bend area. 

 This summer, Thomas is interning with the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, the nation’s only independent public-interest law firm dedicated to AIDS and HIV. His policy interests include equitable emergency relief and LGBTQ+ rights. 

Malgorzata Witalis LAW ’25 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar. She graduated from the University of Warsaw in 2022 and majored in Italian Studies.  

At Temple, Malgorzata has been involved in several student organizations including If/When/How (Reproductive Justice initiative) and the Name Change Project where she helps underrepresented clients work through the paperwork necessary to complete an identity-affirming name change. 

Prior to law school, Malgorzata worked in a boutique law firm in Warsaw. She conducted research on Fathers’ Rights in Light of Rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and represented the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Undergraduate Law Journal at the Intercollegiate Undergraduate Law Review Conference where she presented her work on fathers’ rights. She is also a firm believer in making knowledge more accessible: she engaged in translations for the Polish-Italian magazine that allowed Italians living in Poland to feel like a part of the community. Malgorzata is also a social media creator and promotes reading, connecting book lovers across generations.  

As a 2023 Law & Public Policy Scholar, Malgorzata is interning with the Councilman Isaiah Thomas this summer. Her policy interests include the intersection of  socially conscious city planning, gender, new technology, and fair tax policy.  

Sabrina Konczyk LAW ’23 is a Law and Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Sabrina graduated from Lehigh University in 2021 with a B.A. in Political Science, Sociology, and Anthropology. During undergrad, Sabrina worked with the Black Student Union to create Lehigh Students for BLM, a university-specific Instagram page dedicated to advancing racial equality on campus. At Temple, Sabrina is co-president of Temple’s National Lawyers Guild Chapter, and has worked as a research assistant for Professor Duncan Hollis and Professor Evelyn Rangel-Medina. 

This summer, Sabrina is interning at the office of Philadelphia Councilmember Isaiah Thomas. Her policy interests include human rights, prison abolition, racial equality, and indigenous rights.  

Katie Woodbury LAW ‘25 is a 2023 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. 

Katie graduated from Harvard University in 2014 with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Government. After college, she worked for former Pennsylvania Governor Wolf’s gubernatorial campaign and then in the Office of the Governor following his election. She also worked for the Policy Office of the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources (DCNR), engaging with a wide variety of issues such as strategic conservation planning, climate change mitigation, watershed protection, and sustainable agriculture. Most recently, Katie worked in Nashville at The Land Trust for Tennessee as a Conservation Project Manager, helping private landowners conserve their properties across Tennessee. Her experiences in the Governor’s Office, DCNR, and The Land Trust sparked Katie’s interest in making a career shift to law. 

As a Law & Public Policy Scholar, Katie is a summer law clerk for the Natural Resources Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Her policy interests include land use, natural resource management, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.