2025 Edmonds Summer Fellows

Ava Kreutziger

Ava Kreutziger is an incoming sophomore at Columbia University studying Human Rights and Education, with a focus on youth civic participation, queer liberation, and educational equity. A nationally recognized youth advocate, she has been featured in PBS NewsHour, NPR, and other major outlets for her bold resistance to homophobic and transphobic legislation. She was named to Gambit’s 40 Under 40 for her leadership in LGBTQ+ activism and food justice in New Orleans, where she has worked across educational, agricultural, and artistic spheres to advance intersectional change.Ava’s organizing is grounded in the conviction that young people have the power to confront institutional harm and imagine more just futures. From teaching workshops on food sovereignty at Grow Dat Youth Farm to co-creating a public theatre project on the Louisiana State Capitol steps with the Tectonic Theater Project, her work spans grassroots activism, creative expression, and community-based storytelling. She has partnered with unions, national nonprofits, and youth-led coalitions to create spaces of safety and solidarity—including the Q-Center, an affirming hub for queer students funded by the It Gets Better Project. Ava now continues this work as the 2025 HRE USA Summer Fellow, where she is leading the expansion of the “Human Rights Education Now!” podcast uplifting youth perspectives on human rights and freedom of expression.

Carla Mory

View Carla’s 2025 Edmonds Fellowship Report

Carla Mory is a rising senior in the Dual BA Program between Columbia University and Sciences Po. She spent her first two years of her undergraduate studies in Reims, France, and is finishing up her degree in New York. At Sciences Po, she studied Law and International Relations, and at Columbia, she is double majoring in Political Science and Human Rights. 

She is passionate about social justice, immigration rights, and humanitarian law, and she has worked on these issues in both legal and nonprofit settings. After graduation, she plans on attending law school and hopes to pursue a career in human rights legal advocacy at an international NGO. 

She is excited to be joining HRE USA this summer as a Fundraising and Sustainability Strategy Fellow!

Saah Agyemang Badu

 Saah Agyemang Badu is a researcher and advocate dedicated to fostering equity and dialogue across global education systems. She holds advanced degrees in Public Administration, Non-Profit Management, and Human Rights and has worked on education-focused projects in Ghana, Pakistan, and Rwanda. Her work emphasizes the development of culturally responsive education frameworks that empower marginalized communities and address systemic inequities. Drawing on her international and interdisciplinary experiences, she is committed to creating inclusive spaces where diverse perspectives and voices are elevated to promote meaningful change.

2025 Edmonds Youth Intern

Pranav Raju was awarded HRE USA’s 2024 Youth in Action for Human Rights Award for Individual Achievement. In Summer 2025, Pranav will be the first HRE USA Youth Intern and plans to develop a survey to analyze youth perspectives and experiences with human rights education in educational spaces in line with HRE USA’s vision, goals, and priorities.

Experiencing firsthand the financial burden of health care and insulin for his own Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Pranav Raju was inspired to take action to achieve affordable healthcare for all, especially persons living with this health challenge. He has worked with members of Congress to cap insulin prices, advocated for an affordable healthcare bill for seniors, and contributed to the renewal of the Special Diabetes Program, which funds diabetes research. As a Children’s Congress delegate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF, now known as Breakthrough T1D), Pranav testified before Congress, sharing his personal story and lobbying members of Congress for the successful passage of legislation to lower insulin costs. He created an Advocacy Toolkit to help others take action, share their stories, and influence policy, and he continues to work with both national and international health advocacy groups.

His work is also personal and local. At his local children’s hospital’s “Diabetes 101” trainings, he meets with newly diagnosed young people to encourage them with his personal experience and provide them with resources for their new journey. Mentoring other young people with T1D, he has encountered families unable to afford the life-saving medicine they need and having to choose between food and housing or insulin. As Pranav explains: “Seeing the financial and mental burden and suffering of these families pushed me to fight for change. No child or any human being should suffer or die because they cannot afford insulin.”