HRE USA is proud to announce the winners of this year’s 2025 O’Brien Awards:
Congratulations to Dr. Pedro Jose Gonzalez Corona and The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program!
The individual award goes to Dr. Pedro Jose Gonzalez Corona, Assistant Professor of Human Rights at the departments of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Comparative Cultural Studies at Northern Arizona University. The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program (TWAICB) receives the organizational award.
Established in 2015 in memory of Edward O’Brien, pioneer human rights educator, the O’Brien Human Rights Education Awards annually honor outstanding contributions to human rights education (HRE) in the United States. The 2025 award was presented to Professor Gonzalez and The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program as part of HRE USA’s Human Rights Day Celebration.
Dr. Gonzalez and TWAICB leaders, Sandy Sohcot and Yvonne Vissing accepted the award at HRE USA’s Human Rights Day Celebration.
Dr. Pedro Jose Gonzalez Corona | 2025 O’Brien Award for Individual Achievement
Committed to educating his students both in and out of the classroom. Dr. Gonzalez is an emerging leader of a new generation of human rights educators and scholars. His research examines human rights, genocide, and state-sponsored violence in Latin America. He is a part of a cohort of scholars focusing on the Yaqui people’s history and trauma, mainly during the era of war and deportation. He is also currently writing a book on the Mexican crisis of disappearances, referencing the thousands of people who have been forcibly disappeared and most likely buried in clandestine mass graves. Dr. Gonzalez’s teaching approach includes the creation of faculty led programs and photographic exhibits in which students research human rights topics.
One of his recommenders says of him, “Dr. Gonzalez has never wavered in his full commitment to human rights, human dignity, justice… He is well aware of the fundamental truth of human rights, namely, that there is no such thing as a lesser person.”
For more information
- The NAU-MSI Disappeared: Portraits of Absence
https://www.aprilonline.org/disappeared-portraits-of-absence/ - NAU-MSI The Power of Blood: Mexico’s Casta Paintings
https://www.knau.org/community-calendar/event/the-power-of-blood-mexicos-casta-paintings-13-02-2025-18-04-36
The World as It Could Be | 2025 O’Brien Award for Organizational Achievement
Since 2006 The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program (TWAICB) has inspired people of all ages to take actions that lead to equality, justice, and dignity for all. These initiatives use the creative arts to deepen learning about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its continuing relevance as a vehicle to further equality, equity, justice and dignity for all. TWAICB’s unique curriculum culminates in a Rite-of-Passage-like presentation for participants’ school or organization and its extended community that expresses their ideas about the significance of the UDHR and its connection to their lives,
Founded and developed by Sandy Sohcot in San Francisco Bay Area schools, TWAICB is now under the leadership of Yvonne Vissing, founding director of the Center for Childhood & Youth Studies at Salem State University, where she is a Professor of Healthcare Studies. Together they seek to make TWAICB’s resources more available and accessible to a global audience and to emphasize children’s human rights and how communities can support young people’s well-being.
HRE USA is proud to honor The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program for its commitment and service to human rights education in the United States.
For more information
- TWAICB’s resources and examples of student presentations
https://www.theworldasitcouldbe.org/topics/posts/materials/ - The Initiative for Civility in Everyday Life
https://civic-infrastructure.org/support/ - The Salem State University Center for Childhood and Youth Studies (CCYS)
https://www.salemstate.edu/ccys
HRE USA is proud to announce the winners of this year’s 2025 Youth In Action for Human Rights Awards:
Congratulations to Marium Zahra of El Paso, TX and Shivum Telang of Sewickley, PA—individual winners for their outstanding activism on behalf of social justice, and Vote16MD of Maryland for group achievement!
To encourage a new generation of human rights activists, the Youth in Action for Human Rights Awards recognize youth leadership in the defense of and advocacy for human rights in the United States. The Awards annually honor the work of both an individual and a group of young people of high school age. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of the impact, independence, sustainability, creativity, and relevance to human rights. This year’s winners will received a $500 prize and were recognized at HRE USA’s national Human Rights Day Celebration.
Marium Zahra | 2023 Youth in Action for Human Rights Award for Individual Achievement
Through her activism as an independent journalist, a student lawyer at the El Paso Municipal Teen Court, a sustainable agriculture fellow with the La Semilla Farm and Food Center, an Education Team Lead on the Work2BeWell Youth Advisory Council, or a national youth delegate at UNICEF USA, Marium Zahra works to uplift youth from marginalized communities by advocating for the human rights of young people, especially those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Covering topics as varied as climate issues, the harms of anti-Critical Race Theory legislation and banned books, economically fair testing requirements for students applying to college, and the importance of inclusive, and accessible libraries, her writing has reached a wide national audience. She has been featured in outlets such as The Nation, Prisim Reports, Business Insider, Yes! Magazine, the PBS NewsHour, and Learning for Justice.
For more information
- About Marium Zahra
https://muckrack.com/marium-zahra
Shivum Telang | 2025 Youth in Action for Human Rights Award for Individual Achievement
After a family health crisis made him aware of the inequalities in the American healthcare system, Shivum Telang turned his computer talents to address the problem, especially for those in rural and marginalized communities. The results was MedMatch, a custom search algorithm with a streamlined database that connects patients directly to doctors while also managing referrals and appointment scheduling. Currently working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and connecting with Congressmen to draft a bill regarding access to healthcare, Shivum uniquely bridges the gap between technology and governance. He emphasizes that his platform is designed to “empower people to know and claim their rights,” allowing them to navigate a confusing system with dignity.
For more information
- About Shivum Telang
https://medmatchnetwork.com/about-us/#about-tab-4
Vote16MD | 2025 Youth in Action for Human Rights Award for Group Achievement
Vote16MD works to lower the voting age to 16 across Maryland’s municipalities, with the broader goal of empowering youth and encouraging lifelong civic engagement. Part of Vote16USA, a national youth-led movement to extend voting rights, Vote16MD works alongside lawmakers to develop and implement Vote16 policies. Already 20 Maryland cities have lowered the voting age. Led by Vanessa Li and Anya Kleinman, chapters of Vote16MD research the policies of their local townships and counties, lobby elected representatives and municipal election boards, raise community awareness about the importance of youth voting rights, and engage and empower young people to make their voices heard.
For more information
HRE USA 