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Interns

Halla Al-Moradi

Halla Al-Moradi

Halla Al-Moradi is a sophomore at UAB majoring in Political Science with a concentration in Human Rights and Social Justice and a minor in Legal Affairs. She hopes to become an international human rights lawyer working with the UN.

“I have seen first hand what happens when human rights are not protected and are not fought for. I want to ensure that stories like the stories of human rights violations happening in Yemen right now are known to the UAB community. Without writing down those stories, did they ever happen? History relies on individuals such as ourselves to write down those stories. So my goal is simple: ensure that the people within the UAB community take back their stories and write them down in history proudly.”


Kala Bhattar

Kala Bhattar

Kala Bhattar is an undergraduate junior in the process of securing her double major in Political Science and International Relations, with a minor in Human Rights at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She has worked with the Institute for Human Rights (IHR) at UAB since fall of 2021 as an intern blog writer and has also been working on some of the side projects conducted by the IHR.

Bhattar chose to work for the IHR because she is passionate about helping promote and protect the basic human rights of everyone in her community and around the world. As a blog writer, she has written on topics of both domestic and international importance, such as issues of food insecurity and homelessness in the United States, but also has captured the broader struggles of people around the world, especially in her series on Environmental Justice. The IHR has been an important platform for Bhattar to spread awareness about contemporary issues and has introduced her and prepared her for many opportunities that have assisted her in pursuing her academic goals. She has also moderated a panel discussion for an IHR sponsored event with Aja Barber on the intersectionality between colonialism, fast fashion, and climate change. Additionally, Bhattar has been serving her local community as a member of the Friends of the Locust Fork River (FLFR), an organization focused on keeping the environment clean and spreading environmental awareness throughout the community. She has been a volunteer at FLFR since Fall of 2021, and recently, became an advising member of the FLFR team as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader since Spring 2022.

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Caitlin Cerillo

Caitlin Cerillo

Caitlin is a Senior at UAB majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology and International Studies. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career with journalism and politics on the international scale.

Caitlin's passions in human rights include advocating against gender disparities in different countries, protecting reproductive rights, advocating for gun control, and studying how intersectionality affects both privileged and disadvantaged groups, among others.


Maya Crocker

Maya Crocker

Maya Crocker is a Junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at UAB, majoring in Political Science with minors in Human Rights and Philosophy. She plans to attend law school after graduating from UAB in 2024 and is interested in both international human rights and domestic civil rights law. She is passionate about community interactions and has used her experiences with travel and living overseas as inspiration for her blog topics. Outside of school, Maya can be found doing art, hunting for new plants, and eating sushi with friends.

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James DeLano

James DeLano

James DeLano is a freshman at UAB majoring in English, with a concentration in professional writing, and minoring in human rights, as well as being a part of the Global Community & Leadership program in the Honors College. He plans to go into library science with a focus on disability access and equity in libraries and library spaces. His main human rights interest is in disability rights, as well as several other issues tangentially or directly related to disability rights, such as affordable housing, equitable healthcare, and prison reform. Outside of school, he enjoys reading, playing D&D, and playing with his service dog, Bruin.


Nikhita Mudium

Nikhita Mudium

Hi! My name is Nikhita, and I am a sophomore majoring in neuroscience from Madison, Alabama. As a child, living in diverse populations across the East Coast of the United States sparked my passion for social justice and advocacy.

Thus, at IHR, I look forward to exploring more about the current state of human rights and learning how to build interdisciplinary systems that protect them. My main interests are in healthcare inequity, activist rights, and women’s rights with a focus on the intersectionality between education, socioeconomic conditions, and science.

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Grace Ndanu

Grace Ndanu

Grace is a third year student in Gender, Women’s And Development Studies at Egerton University in Kenya.

“I have always dreamt of me tackling the daily human issues around the world. This chance to work for the IHR draws me closer to my dream also feeling like it’s my responsibility to make each individual know their rights and also make them know the capabilities that are in them.”

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Eva Pechtl

Eva Pechtl

Eva Pechtl is a freshman at UAB pursuing a major in Criminal Justice and a double minor in Human Rights and Forensic Psychology. She is part of the Global and Community Leaders Honors Program through the Honors College, where she hopes to become involved in social justice related projects and service learning. She also serves as a freshman representative for UAB's Social Justice Advocacy Council's Programming Board to act on her goals of promoting inclusivity and empowering marginalized groups. Eva grew up in Mundelein, Illinois, and is passionate about reforming the criminal justice system for disadvantaged groups. She believes human rights should be respected in the criminal justice processes regardless of an offender's criminal history, immigration status, race, gender, sexuality, financial status, intellectual ability, or age. She is hoping to develop her written advocacy skills throughout this internship and spark change in her future career.


A. Price

A. Price

Price is a Junior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Political Science. They are a part of the UAB 2022 Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl team and the Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team, as well as being involved with UAB Queer Peers. They specialize in religions and cults, specifically how faith-based organizations can use their power to abuse the human rights of their members. They are passionate about the rights of ethnic and racial minorities, LGBTQ+ minorities, and people with disabilities. They aspire to be a politician advocating for the human rights of all communities.


Sumaira Quraishi

Sumaira Quraishi

Sumaira is a Junior at UAB studying Public Health and Chemistry. She holds leadership positions in the UAB chapter of Circle K International and the Coins for Cancer club, both of which are service and fellowship-oriented organizations on campus.

Sumaira grew up in Hoover, Alabama, but has spent most of her summers in Chicago, Illinois, or Albany, New York. In her free time, she loves reading, cooking, and traveling. Some human rights issues Sumaira is passionate about include access to healthcare, lack of legislature protecting women, and oppression in nations by governmental bodies.


Rakshith Ramdas

Rakshith Ramdas

Rakshith Ramdas is a undergraduate freshman studying at UAB as a Political Science major with minors in International Studies and Legal Affairs, while also being on the Pre-Law track. He is a part of the Global and Community Leadership Honors Program within the Honors College and with this platform, he hopes to instill effective and positive change on this world. Additionally, he was recently asked to join Birmingham’s Blazin’ Bhangra, which is a dance team dedicated to mastering the art of bhangra. With it only being his first semester at college, Rakshith is eager and exhilarated for the further opportunities that he will encounter throughout this new journey.

Rakshith was intrigued by the internship here at the Institute of Human Rights because it would give him the chance to not only find his voice as a writer, but to shed light on the struggles and injustices that humans experience without having a voice to advocate for themselves. Rakshith firmly believes that the true power of words is that it can spark action within communities and eventually, society as a whole.


Mohammed Rayyan

Mohammed Rayyan

Rayyan, who is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics, aspires to become a Software Engineer. Born and raised in India, he has personally observed instances of human rights violations across different segments of society.

"My main interest is making sure that people from smaller groups are treated fairly. I really care about helping them by giving them different kinds of help and making sure people listen to what they have to say. I also feel strongly about refugees, people who have had to leave their homes and come to the USA. I think it's important that they get a good education and can see a doctor when they need to. Human rights are about making sure everyone is treated with respect and fairness. It's something that's important for a peaceful and just society. We should all work together to protect these rights for everyone, no matter who they are."

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Abigail Shumate

Abigail Shumate

Abby Shumate is a senior pursuing a degree in Economics with a concentration in Data Analysis and Policy. She is from Auburn, AL and she plans on staying in the South and helping it improve after her graduation.

Abby is passionate about human rights and politics since she was a child, as her parents encouraged her to stay engaged. She participates in various student organizations, such as UAB Sustainability and UAB Student Housing and Residence Life. Her focus at the IHR will revolve around the rights of marginalized groups in southern states and drawing attention to these issues.

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Delisha Valacheril

Delisha Valacheril

Delisha is a sophomore at UAB majoring in Political Science with a concentration in Human Rights, as well as pursuing a minor in Sociology. She is heavily involved with Service and Leadership Council serving as a Site Leader, Honors College Leadership Council serving as an at-large representative for the service committee, and she is apart of Student Arts Council.

“I am to inculcate my fellow scholars with my encounters of bigotry that spur institutional homophobia, backhanded racism, and casual sexism as well as understand their experiences to further my understanding. I seek to join this program’s talented, engaged student body that exemplifies the wide range of human experience because diversity is what makes our community stronger.”


Lexie Woolums

Lexie Woolums

Lexie is a senior pursuing a dual degree in Environmental Studies and English. She is passionate about sustainability, especially social sustainability issues, since they are often left out of mainstream conversations about sustainability. She was born in Mobile, AL and spent much of her childhood on the beach or in the woods near her house. Once she got older, she recognized the impact that the environment had on people's quality of life and how environmental issues disproportionately impact different groups.

Lexie is passionate about intersectional environmentalism, immigration reform, and women's rights. She also works as an intern with UAB Sustainability. She loves hiking, traveling, reading memoirs, and taking dance classes in her free time.