We’ve had incredible interns and fellows working with NJJN during the summer and fall months this year! Thanks to their work, we’ve been able to release important publications, celebrate Youth Justice Action Month, expand our social media outreach and continue to push a new vision of youth justice! Huge thanks to all that they helped us accomplish! 
 
Learn more about these emerging advocates. 

Summer 2022: 

Jorren Biggs 
Policy Intern 
UNC-Chapel Hill, ‘23 

1. What got you interested in youth justice advocacy work? Getting involved with the Youth Justice Project's Steering Committee during my junior year of high school exposed me to local advocacy efforts and sparked my interest in youth justice work.  
   
   
2. How do you hope your experience with NJJN will support your goals moving forward? Working with NJJN has allowed me to enter both professional and academic experiences with an interest in finding intersections within my work.  
   
   
3. What college/post-grad course has had the biggest impact on you? Why? My first year I took "Race, Innocence, and the Death Penalty" in the Political Science that featured a combination of lectures, seminars, and interviews with wrongfully convicted individuals. Taking it so early in my college career really helped shape my interests and future course selections.
     
4. Favorite book or movie? My favorite book is Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, and my favorite movie is Forrest Gump.  

Julia Chun 
Project Management and Research Intern 
Clark University MPA '23 

1. What got you interested in youth justice advocacy work? I volunteered in inner city schools and saw the ways in which students of color were adultified, criminalized, and stripped of their education in classrooms. I began to learn more about the school-to-prison pipeline and began taking classes in legal theory and sociology of crime and punishment. From an academic lens I realized the systemic ways in which our institutions enact violence on youth, but as a volunteer in my community I witnessed youth activism and strength at organizations such as the West End House and Boys & Girls club. I want to be a part of creating new systems and futures for marginalized youth.  
   
   
2. How do you hope your experience with NJJN will support your goals moving forward? I learned so much about organizing, justice work, and anti-racism from my internship at NJJN! Most importantly, I learned that effective change takes time, collaboration, and democratic decision making. Getting to join the team meetings and learning from my supervisor Tracey were some of my favorite parts of the opportunity. The research I conducted over the summer will definitely be useful in my journey into law school and advocacy in the future.  
   
   
3. What college/post-grad course has had the biggest impact on you? Why? The course that had the most impact on me was an urban planning course called American Cities: Space and Place. I learned how the deep histories and geographical aspects of labor movements, social programs, and exclusion resulted in the creation of our contemporary cities. It was critical to my understanding as a geographer to see how interwoven social patterns, economics, advocacy, and governance interact to create physical and imagined spaces.  
   
   
4. Favorite book or movie? My favorite book is A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara, and my favorite movie is Amelie. 

Fall, 2022 

Anayce Cody 
MSW Intern 
Howard University Graduate School of Social Work, ‘23 

1. What got you interested in youth justice advocacy work? I'm very interested in politics and policy. I am currently trying to figure out what particular group I feel most strongly about, which brought me to NJJN and working with youth. I'm interested in seeing what I can learn from youth justice advocacy.  
   
   
2. How do you hope your experience with NJJN will support your goals moving forward? NJJN is exposing me to many policy-related issues, which is helping me target what area of policy work I’d like to focus on. As I’ve worked with staff, I’ve really gotten a better feel for where I belong in the polictical and advocacy space.
      
3. What college/post-grad course has had the biggest impact on you? Why? The course that has had the biggest impact on me is Communities and Organizations. That course broadened my horizons about what social work has to offer and pushed me to sharpen my skills in the social work realm, which resulted in me wanting to learn so much more.
   
   
4. Favorite book or movie? The Parent Trap 

Maya Thakur  
Communications Intern 
University of Texas at Arlington, First-year 
 

1. What got you interested in youth justice advocacy work? It's crucial to listen to those most affected by systemic injustice, but both young people and those involved in the justice system are typically dismissed. I decided to intern for NJJN because I wanted to contribute to an organization working to rectify that.
   
   
2. How do you hope your experience with NJJN will support your goals moving forward? 
I've learned so much during my time with NJJN, both about communications strategy and youth justice strategy. I'd like to pursue a career in nonprofit/governmental work, social policy, or law, and I'm confident that my experience at NJJN will be indispensable going forward.
   
   
3. What course has had the biggest impact on you? Why? 
My history and government courses throughout middle and high school had a profound impact on me-- my teachers were fantastic and helped spark my interest in advocacy work.
    
4. Favorite book or movie? Fahrenheit 451  

Natalie Gilbert 
Policy Intern 
Georgetown University Class, ‘24  

1. What got you interested in youth justice advocacy work? During my time as an intern for both the District Attorney's Office and U.S. Senate, I discovered how few advocates exist for youth who have been victimized by our criminal legal system. While I had always been interested in using my voice to help advocate, these experiences helped me focus my interest on youth justice advocacy work.
   
   
2. How do you hope your experience with NJJN will support your goals moving forward? I believe this internship will allow me to bring justice to victims of terrible crimes and work to fight for important legal issues in our government. Gaining a deeper understanding of the problems facing our society and learning how to work together to implement change would be an incomparable result of this internship. Ideally, this hands-on involvement in NJJN's work will create the foundation for my pursuit of law and public service in the future.
      
3. What course has had the biggest impact on you? Why? Last year, I took a Women and Gender Studies course entitled Sex, Social Justice, and The Bill of Rights. During this course, we analyzed the constitutional basis for debates regarding women's reproductive rights, which was an incredibly timely and edifying class. Throughout the semester, I was able to dive deeper into numerous topics involving women's rights that I had not previously learned about. Not only was this course incredibly edifying, but it was also the most empowering class I have ever taken.
     
4. Favorite book or movie? As someone who is a sucker for rom-coms, my favorite movie of all time is When Harry Met Sally. Everything about the movie (including how cheesy it is) is just perfect to me! 

 
Rasha Shalha 
Community Solutions Program Fellow 
Lebanese American University 
Bachelor’s in Social Work, ‘18 & Master’s in Migration Studies ‘20 

1. What got you interested in youth justice advocacy work? Growing up in an environment where I always used to see kids and youths in and out of the justice system repetitively, created my interest in diving deeper into understanding the justice system. I did an internship for a few months working with youth in the Central Prison in Lebanon where I had the opportunity to listen to their stories and struggles. Since then, I started my career in the field of the justice system and I decided to start the mission of leaving an impact on the lives of these youths as well as advocating to change the system while making sure each young person can realize his/her full potential.
   
   
2. How do you hope your experience with NJJN will support your goals moving forward? My fellowship experience with NJJN is helping me on different levels. Through the activities I am participating in, I am exploring new, effective, and alternative methods of having a better justice system. I am also developing my legislative advocacy and legal strategy skills to address the roots of incarceration and improve the well-being of youths.
   
   
3. What course has had the biggest impact on you? Why? The course that has had the biggest impact on me is "Family and Child Welfare." This is because, throughout practice, I realized how important it is to promote the welfare of children from being toddlers to ensure an effective transition to adulthood and the responsibility of government, schools, families, and social workers in promoting and advocating for that.
   
   
4. Favorite book or movie? My favorite book is Social Work Policy Practice: Changing our Community, Nation, and the World.  

Samantha Cohen 
Communications Intern
University of Maryland Global Campus, Third Year 

1. What got you interested in youth justice advocacy work? I’ve always been heavily interested in criminal justice and the issues within the system, but about a year ago I watched a few different documentaries by Calamari Productions about juvenile prisons and what life inside these facilities is like for youth. These documentaries really opened my eyes to the realities of what being in the system is like for a child. I’ve become extremely passionate about youth justice and really want to make a difference in the system and in the lives of the children who are affected by it.
   
   
2. How do you hope your experience with NJJN will support your goals moving forward? Interning at NJJN has given me insight into criminal justice nonprofits and how they operate. I plan on working with youth in the system and NJJN has provided me with so much knowledge on the youth criminal justice system that I’ll be able to use in my career.
   
   
3. What course has had the biggest impact on you? Why? The course that had the most impact on me was a women’s studies course that I took during my freshman year. I loved it because it was more of a discussion as opposed to a lecture and my professor was incredibly supportive. She really gave us the space to talk about women’s issues that were important and interesting to us and allowed us to share our own experiences as women.
   
   
4. Favorite book or movie? My favorite book is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.