2024 Edmonds Summer Fellows

Areianaz Eghbali

My name is Areianaz, but I also go by Ara! I am a rising senior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Psychology with double minors in Public Policy and Journalism. I am deeply passionate about social justice, mental health advocacy, gender equality, LGBTQ+ empowerment, and educational equity.

As the Gender & Sexuality Retention Director for UC Berkeley’s Middle Eastern North African Recruitment and Retention Center (MENARRC), I lead initiatives that enhance multicultural programming on campus and provide comprehensive support for students’ mental health, academic, professional, and personal needs. My efforts include organizing healing circles focused on gender equity and queerness, spearheading educational programming, and distributing essential sexual health and wellness resources. On campus, I am also a trained mental health counselor with Student-to-Student Peer Counseling (SSPC), offering free, client-centered mental health services to fellow UC Berkeley students. Additionally, I have conducted and published research at UC Berkeley’s Undergraduate Lab studying the effects of childhood adversity on later adulthood, furthering my motivation to understand the importance of early interventions in mental health advocacy and the long-term benefits of support systems.

My dedication to understanding human behavior and its intersection with societal issues drives my commitment to advocacy and education. In the future, I am eager to channel this passion into a career with human rights organizations, focusing on policy development and educational programs that promote equality and justice on a global scale.

I am thrilled to begin my work with HRE USA, where I look forward to furthering my knowledge in human rights education, equality, and advocacy.

Carly Sandstrom

Carly Sandstrom is an MA candidate in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University. Carly is passionate about human rights, focusing on children’s rights and international humanitarian law. In addition to the Edmonds fellowship, Carly is writing her thesis on children’s rights and counterterrorism policies. Prior to graduate school, Carly earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Relations and Policy from Michigan State University where she was also a Lab Leader for the James Madison College Human Rights Data Science Lab for two years. It was during her time working with this lab that she found her interest in human rights research and the law of war.

Emma Tolliver

Emma Tolliver is an incoming law student at the University of Washington, School of Law. She is passionate about human rights, with a particular interest in human rights issues around education accessibility, gender equity, and sexual health and safety. With her legal education, she plans to become a legal advocate for survivors of human trafficking and other forms of organized, sex-based crimes. 

A proud UC Davis alumna, Emma received a degree in English and Political Science – Public Service summa cum laude with a minor in Human Rights Studies in June 2023. While a student at UC Davis, Emma worked for Article 26 Backpack, a non-governmental organization that supports refugees and at-risk students in connecting to higher education. After graduating from UC Davis, Emma was hired as a consultant to lead one of Backpack’s new initiatives: deployment in Burma to support Burmese refugees and at-risk populations with the support of USAID and IIE. 

Additionally, Emma currently works as a Youth Empowerment Fellow for Changeist, where she designs curriculum around and helps youth in the Central Valley explore the intersection between art, media, and advocacy. Emma is extremely honored to be an Edmonds Fellow this summer and, as the first law student to ever receive the Edmonds Fellowship, is committed to continuing to leverage her skills and education for public good.