Our Alumni
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I still remember the many insights I could have only gotten from the diverse scholars and practitioners that make up the faculty at STU. I am grateful to my professors and advisors for bringing their uniquely valuable experiences from global and regional human rights institutions and universities to bear on my work. Read more. . .
Dr. Abadir Ibrahim
Ethiopia, J.S.D. ’15, LL.M. ’09
Dr. Abadir Ibrahim
Ethiopia, J.S.D. ’15, LL.M. ’09
Abadir Ibrahim, St. Thomas LL.M. & J.S.D. Graduate in Intercultural Human Rights, Appointed Associate Director of Harvard Human Rights Program
It is with delight that our Graduate Program in Intercultural Human Rights shares the appointment of its distinguished LL.M. and J.S.D. alumnus, Dr. Abadir Ibrahim, to the Associate Directorship of Harvard Law School’s prestigious Human Rights Program, effective August 2021. In this position, he is responsible for executing the program’s strategic vision and plans in addition to contributing substantively to the program’s research, publishing, and convenings. Professors Siegfried Wiessner and Professor Roza Pati, the directors of the LL.M. and J.S.D. Program, could not be prouder of this eminent graduate.
Dr. Ibrahim is a human rights lawyer of great standing in both theory and practice. He earned his LL.B. degree in 2005, and his LL.M. degree in 2009, at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. He also served as public prosecutor and legal trainer at the Ministry of Justice of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 2006 to 2009.
In 2009, he earned his LL.M. degree in Intercultural Human Rights at St. Thomas University School of Law summa cum laude. In his LL.M. thesis, in which he practiced the application of methods developed under policy-oriented jurisprudence or the “New Haven School”, he explored The Role of the African Union in the Protection of Human Rights: A Case Study of Darfur. He later published a broader assessment of the African Union’s human rights system based on insights and methods developed by the New Haven School. From 2009 to 2012, he served as Research Fellow at our Intercultural Human Rights Program, and in 2012-13, as Graduate Fellow of St. Thomas University’s Human Trafficking Academy. He then proceeded to write an original J.S.D. dissertation in Intercultural Human Rights, which he defended in 2015 and published with Springer, a renowned Swiss publishing company, under the title of The Role of Civil Society in Africa’s Quest for Democratization.
From 2012 on, Dr. Ibrahim practiced in the field, realizing our Program’s goal of becoming a “warrior for dignity.” He represented and advocated on behalf of victims of human rights violations before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the Council of Constitutional Inquiry of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. He also served as Director of the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights and Democracy in Ethiopia, and, since 2019, as Head of the Secretariat of the Justice and Legal Affairs Advisory Council established by the Attorney General’s Office of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. He published an impressive number of articles and books in the field, served on numerous panels, and engaged in many media appearances, particularly as they related to human rights in Africa.
Dr. Ibrahim always remained strongly connected to his academic family in the U.S., the Graduate Program in Intercultural Human Rights. Impressed by his discerning academic work and practical engagement, our Program brought him back first to teach the section on Islam in the course of Human Rights and Religion. Since spring 2020, Dr. Ibrahim has taught the segment on The African System in our class on Regional Systems of Human Rights Protection, eliciting strongly positive student responses.
“After more than a decade,” Dr. Ibrahim says, “I still remember the many insights I could have only gotten from the diverse scholars and practitioners that make up the faculty at STU. I am grateful to my professors and advisors for bringing their uniquely valuable experiences from global and regional human rights institutions and universities to bear on my work.”
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In a meaningful intellectual dialogue, the LL.M. and the J.S.D. programs in Intercultural Human Rights not only supplemented my legal career, but they equipped me with much needed tools to lead positive local and global change and defend the inalienability of human rights of every person. Read more. . .
Beatriz Susana Uitts
Colombia, J.S.D. ’20, LL.M., ’12’
Beatriz Susana Uitts
Colombia, J.S.D. ’20, LL.M., ’12’
Dr. Beatriz Susana Uitts is a human rights specialist, Internet child safety advocate, and researcher. She is the founder and director of the Human Trafficking Front, a research and advocacy organization geared at increasing trafficking prevention efforts. She holds an LL.M. and a J.S.D. degree in Intercultural Human Rights from St. Thomas University School of Law, Miami. Her doctoral dissertation analized the growing problem of online child sexual exploitation and aimed at providing solutions to the problem. She is a member of the South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force, the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet), the Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) in the ICANN.
Her professional experience includes speaking on the topic of human trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), and role of the Internet in facilitating those practices at specialized trainings and seminars on behalf of St. Thomas Law John J. Brunetti Human Trafficking Academy and the Miami-Dade County’s Community Action and Human Services Department, Coordinated Victims Assistance Center (CVAC) where she previously worked. Dr. Uitts has served vulnerable populations including children at His House Children’s Home Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program. She also assisted in implementing the ‘Miami-Dade County Human Trafficking Collaborative Project’ Grant from U.S. Dept. of Justice Office of Justice Programs in Miami-Dade County, by helping to coordinate a community response to victims of human trafficking via intensive case management. She served at Safespace North Domestic Violence Center for battered women and assisted victims at the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, Domestic Violence Division. Her public engagements include at Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), Buenos Dias America Univision, 2018 Rotary annual District 6990 Assembly, and Miami-Dade Schools. Dr. Uitts has served as petitioner attorney before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington D.C., and she taught labor law at the Legal Aid Clinic of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá D.C., Colombia.
“In a meaningful intellectual dialogue, the LL.M. and the J.S.D. programs in Intercultural Human Rights not only supplemented my legal career, but they equipped me with much needed tools to lead positive local and global change and defend the inalienability of human rights of every person. As a student in the renowned LL.M. and the J.S.D. programs, I had the exceptional opportunity to also work as Graduate Fellow with the Human Trafficking Academy of St. Thomas Law School, a pioneer anti-trafficking institution in South Florida. My work with the Academy and my doctoral research on human trafficking inspired me to found the Human Trafficking Front, a research and advocacy non-profit organization geared at increasing trafficking prevention efforts. In an unparalleled depth and breadth, the programs provided me with the legal foundations and practical methods to address the challenges of this 21st century towards an order where everyone has the possibility to thrive and to reach their full potential in an order of human dignity.”
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Studying human rights at St. Thomas Law has augmented my perseverance, initiative, and intellectual creativity, which have, in turn, played a key role in developing my own legal identity with a strong basis on human rights and human dignity. Read more. . .
Mohammad Mahmoud Ibrahim
Egypt, J.S.D. ’18, LL.M. ’08
Mohammad Mahmoud Ibrahim
Egypt, J.S.D. ’18, LL.M. ’08
Dr. Mohammad Mahmoud Ibrahim, graduate of St. Thomas Law’s Master of Laws and Doctorate of the Science of Law in Intercultural Human Rights programs, has been appointed Member of the Technical Bureau of the Ministry of Justice in Egypt. In his role, Dr. Ibrahim will support the Ministry of Justice in several aspects including identifying key challenges and opportunities of the Egyptian judicial system, strengthen its judicial autonomy and independence, develop strategies and action plans for the Ministry’s activities, work closely with colleagues and subordinates to achieve the common goals and objectives of joint activities, among other duties. Dr. Mohammad earned his LL.M. in Intercultural Human Rights in 2008 and in 2018 he defended his J.S.D. dissertation titled Women’s Rights under International, American, Islamic and Egyptian Law: An Irresolvable Conflict?, which is being published by the Council on International Law and Politics (forthcoming 2022).
“First and foremost, I am truly privileged to be a graduate of the LL.M. and the J.S.D. programs of St. Thomas University College of Law,” says Dr. Ibrahim.
“Studying human rights at St. Thomas Law has augmented my perseverance, initiative, and intellectual creativity, which have, in turn, played a key role in developing my own legal identity with a strong basis on human rights and human dignity. I remember the vivid and constructive classroom discussions with global legal experts that enabled me to know the world, to be determined for justice and the common good, and to always opt for solutions that bring about an order of human dignity worldwide. My academic experience at St. Thomas Law marked a milestone in the development of my career. As a judge, it has enabled me to respect, protect and promote human rights while rendering court decisions. It has assisted me in applying well the principles of “supremacy of the law”, “equality before the law”, “accountability to the law” and “fairness in the application of the law.”
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After an intense year of reading, researching and studying about human rights, I can only be grateful to Professors Siegfried Wiessner and Roza Pati, for the high quality of the curriculum and the faculty selected for each course. Read more. . .
Tomas Randle, Esq.
Argentina, LL.M. ’17
Tomas Randle, Esq.
Argentina, LL.M. ’17
The St. Thomas Law’s globally acclaimed LL.M./J.S.D. in Intercultural Human Rights program prides itself in offering its students a unique and challenging academic experience. The program’s world-renowned faculty from places such as the United Nations, Oxford University, the Human Rights Watch, and international courts as well as its one-of-a-kind curriculum creates a highly stimulating learning environment for its students.
Tomas Randle, Esq., who graduated magna cum laude from the Master of Laws in Intercultural Human Rights program in May 2017, looks back at his educational experience at St. Thomas Law. For Tomas, being a Fulbright Award recipient from Argentina gave him the opportunity to pursue his LL.M. degree at any university of his choice in the United States. After much thought and deliberation, he elected to attend St. Thomas Law’s LL.M. Program. The Intercultural Human Rights Law Review ranking sixth among all human rights law journals worldwide and the eminent instructors served as the magnet that attracted him to the program. During his study, Tomas had the opportunity to meet people from similar professional backgrounds from all over the world, and the result of sharing the same passion and concerns about human rights and the enriching intellectual experience exceeded his expectations.
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I can say without reservation that the LL.M. program gave me the courage, the motivation and the inspiration to push for sustainable solutions to the problems that most impact our community. Read more. . .
Virginia Akar, Esq.
United States, LL.M. ’16
Virginia Akar, Esq.
United States, LL.M. ’16
Ms. Virginia M. Akar, Esq. is an attorney at law and human rights advocate. She is the Co-founder and President of Strong Girls, Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to embolden all girls to succeed in school. Ms. Akar began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County in 1994. She is a member of the City of Miami Community Relations Board and serves as the Executive Director of Young Musicians Unite. Ms. Akar graduated summa cum laude and as class valedictorian from the Master of Laws in Intercultural Human Rights program in 2016.
“When I entered the Intercultural Human Rights LLM program, it was with the intention of ultimately teaching. Instead, the depth of the program and its engaging topics delivered by some of the most knowledgeable experts in human rights became the catalyst that jolted me into “do something” mode. Midway through the program, inspired by many of the professors and their passion for the topics they discussed and their work in a multitude of human rights arenas, I began working on an anti-poverty project that ultimately led to the founding of Strong Girls, Inc. We have partnered with Dade County Public Schools and the 10-year program stays with the girls through high school developing a pipeline to college and employable skills to break the cycle of poverty. I can say without reservation that the LL.M. program gave me the courage, the motivation and the inspiration to push for sustainable solutions to the problems that most impact our community.”
Watch as Ms. Akar receives The Essie Silva Community Builder Award at the 2020 United Way of Miami-Dade Virtual Annual Meeting & Volunteer Awards Program.
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Every day I recognize the academic quality and practical usefulness of the LL.M. Program at St. Thomas Law. Read more. . .
Sergio A. Marin
Colombia, LL.M. ’15
Sergio A. Marin
Colombia, LL.M. ’15
Sergio A. Marin, a graduate of St.Thomas Law’s LL.M./J.S.D. in Intercultural Human Rights program, played a major role in the drafting process of a decree for the creation and regulation of the Committee for the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons for the City of Floridablanca, second most populated city in the Department of Santander, Colombia.
Under the auspices of the Mayor of Floridablanca, the Secretary of the Government of Santander, and the local branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the document (Decree No. 0227/2017) is a major stepping stone toward reducing and preventing the crime of trafficking in persons in Santander.
For Sergio, the opportunity to work on the creation of the committee was a humbling experience and a great achievement. Sergio is currently working with the Internal Oversight Office in the City of Bucaramanga, Santander’s capital city. His next task entails the drafting of a new bill to help address the problem of child abduction in his region and he intends to add components of human trafficking to the bill.
Sergio, who earned his LL.M degree in Intercultural Human Rights and graduated with honors in 2015, expressed his deepest appreciation to the program for its academic quality and practical usefulness, which has been invaluable in his efforts to create positive change in his community.
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The LL.M. program has uniquely enabled me for my present job in designing an effective counter terrorism strategy while respecting human rights and the rule of law. Read more. . .
Mohamed Fouda
Egypt, LL.M. ’08
Mohamed Fouda
Egypt, LL.M. ’08
Mohamed Fouda is a Counter Terrorism Projects Officer at the Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Mr. Fouda provides technical assistance to Member States (MS) in the Middle East and North Africa region, to enhance their criminal justice response to terrorism threats, in accordance with human rights and role of law principles. The technical assistance comprises of tailored capacity building programs that aim to: increase ratification and implementation by MS of the 19 international legal instruments and UN security Council resolutions pertaining to the prevention and suppression of international terrorism; assist with the incorporation of the provisions of these international legal instruments into national legislation; enhancing the capacity of criminal justice and law enforcement officers to efficiently implement counter-terrorism legislation and helping in establishing strong cooperation agreements among Member States worldwide, with a view to facilitate requests for mutual legal assistance and extradition, to enhance the prosecution of cross-borders terrorist cases.
Mr. Fouda started his career in 2000 as a corporate lawyer advising on international contracts and business transactions. He then worked as a prosecutor and later as a judge at Egyptian courts, where he engaged in the investigation and prosecution of several major terrorism incidents. His last assignment before joining the UN was as Chief Prosecutor at the Egyptian Court of Cassation and acted as Technical Advisor for the Egyptian Minister of Justice. In addition, Mr. Fouda is currently lecturing at several academic institutions.
Mr. Fouda holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Cairo University Law School and a Master of Laws (L.L.M.) degree in Intercultural Human Rights from St. Thomas University School of Law. He is currently working on his Ph.D. dissertation on international criminal law.
“The LL.M. program has uniquely enabled me for my present job in designing an effective counter terrorism strategy while respecting human rights and the rule of law. This program has had an exceptional effect in my personal and professional development: from the analytical way of thinking to the broadening of my capacity to conduct profound legal research, to the drafting of complex legal documents, to unique opportunities for networking with the world-renowned experts in the field – all in a very dynamic and interactive environment. It is a life-changing experience!”
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The LL.M. at St. Thomas Law has been a tremendous help in fostering the highest standards of the legal profession in my practice as a lawyer Read more. . .
Gunbileg Boldbaatar
Mongolia, LL.M. ’05
Gunbileg Boldbaatar
Mongolia, LL.M. ’05
Mr. Gunbileg Boldbaatar is the President of the Mongolian Bar Association, an organization first established in 2013. Mongolia requires that every lawyer (judge, prosecutor, advocate and other legal professionals) shall be a member of the MBA. The Bar Association shall undertake to implement such functions as to set common standards of the practice of law, the reputation and accountability of the legal profession, as well as to protect interests of lawyers, increase their knowledge and skills, participate in the selection of judges, accredit law schools and provide expert assistance with legislation.
“The LL.M. at St. Thomas Law has been a tremendous help in fostering the highest standards of the legal profession in my practice as a lawyer and now in my position as the President of the Mongolian Bar Association. I also fondly remember the program’s most welcoming response to arguments presented in class by students from radically different cultures.”
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The LL.M. program first allowed me to introduce the human rights dimension in my work as a researcher and professor. Read more. . .
Dr. Mireya Maritza Peña Guzmán
Colombia, LL.M. ’03
Dr. Mireya Maritza Peña Guzmán
Colombia, LL.M. ’03
In January 2021, Dr. Peña Guzmán was appointed as a Senior Human Rights Advisor to the United Nations Resident Coordinator, in Santo Domingo, in Dominican Republic. Her previous experience include, inter alia, Head of the Justice and Rule of Law Unit of the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Service, of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), service at the former peace operations in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), the Syrian Arab Republic (UNSMIS), and in Central African Republic (BINUCA) as well as in the recently-established peace operations in South Sudan (UNMISS) and Mali (MINUSMA). She also served at the Geneva HQ of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights working, inter alia, at the Human Rights Council as well as with various UN thematic Special Procedures, among others, on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, the Human Rights of Migrants, Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Cultural Rights, the rights of Indigenous peoples and violence against women.
“The LL.M. program first allowed me to introduce the human rights dimension in my work as a researcher and professor. Thereafter, it also helped me to make real my dream to work for the United Nations in the advancement of peace, development, and human rights worldwide. Now, I embrace and value diversity and intercultural dialogue in my daily work.”
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Influenced by The New Haven School of Jurisprudence and the idea of the ‘hegemonic international law’ which I learnt at St. Thomas School of Law Graduate Program in Intercultural Human Rights. Read more. . .
Dr. Cosmin Corendea
Romania, LL.M. ’06
Dr. Cosmin Corendea
Romania, LL.M. ’06
Dr. Cosmin Corendea is Associate Academic Officer and Legal Expert at the United Nations University, Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), in Bonn, Germany. He is acting as focal point for legal issues associated with environmental degradation and adverse effects of climate change: institutional vulnerabilities and adaptation, climate equity, climate justice, human rights, forced migration. He conducts research on conceptual and comparative frameworks of legal perceptions of environmental vulnerabilities, resilience and sustainable development impacts with distinct and positive reflection in policy making. He is also recent recipient of the prestigious AXA Research Fellowship, a research grant allowing him to continue his research on climate change and international law.
Most importantly, Dr. Corendea is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change team of lawyers working on drafting, finalizing and disseminating the legal text which is expected to come out of the Paris CoP 21 on Climate Change, in November-December 2015.
“Influenced by The New Haven School of Jurisprudence and the idea of the ‘hegemonic international law’ which I learnt at St. Thomas School of Law Graduate Program in Intercultural Human Rights, I am happy to state that I am best known for initiating and developing the concept of ‘international hybrid law’ in 2007 — a legal research tool which uses human rights, environmental and refugee/migration law in climate change-related case analysis,— becoming this way one of pioneer scholars in the field researching the correlation between international law and climate change.”
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The LL.M. and J.S.D. program at St. Thomas University School of Law is of the highest quality design of any human rights curriculum available anywhere in the world. Read more. . .
Dr. Mark Dell Kielsgard
United States, LL.M. ’04, J.S.D. ’09
Dr. Mark Dell Kielsgard
United States, LL.M. ’04, J.S.D. ’09
Dr. Kielsgard, a prolific scholar and human rights activist is Assistant Professor of Law and Director of Mooting and Advocacy at the City University of Hong Kong. In 2012-2013, Dr. Kielsgard was the recipient of the prestigious Myres S. McDougal Prize.
“The LL.M. and J.S.D. program at St. Thomas University School of Law is of the highest quality design of any human rights curriculum available anywhere in the world. It brings together the most respected scholars and lawyers in the field with the most diverse student body to rigorously train them to become leaders in human rights. Its reach is truly global. This program was a defining moment in my life that transformed my career and has directly led to the fulfilment of my life’s work. Thanks to this program I attained the necessary expertise to become a law professor, scholar and human rights activist. In addition to teaching at my home institution in Hong Kong I have been honoured to lecture in Cambodia, mainland China, Armenia and North America to students, NGO’s and International Court personnel. The track record of St. Thomas’ graduates is extraordinary with many going on to careers in academia, and public and private sector positions that greatly impact human rights and human dignity.”
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The LL.M. Program in Intercultural Human Rights has prepared me well to meet the challenges of my job at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. Read more. . .
Dr. Fatima Waziri
Nigeria, LL.M. ’07
Dr. Fatima Waziri
Nigeria, LL.M. ’07
Dr. Waziri is Research Fellow and Head of Department of Public Law at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) — Nigeria’s apex institution for research and advanced studies in law. read more. . .
“The LL.M. Program in Intercultural Human Rights has prepared me well to meet the challenges of my job at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. Officially commissioned in March 1979 as Nigeria’s apex institution for research and advanced studies in law, the Institute focuses on enhancing national development. The policy-oriented jurisprudence approach I learnt at St. Thomas has been an amazing effective tool in my professional career.”