Past Internships

JULIEN ABDI-STEPHENS
Undergraduate, Human Rights and Fashion Media double major, Human Rights Initiative
Project: Working in the marketing department of the Human Rights Initiative to prepare for an annual storytelling project to celebrate International Human Rights Day in December and a smaller version of the program on International World Refugee Day in June. Tasks included writing essays, research, and creating a cultivation packet for sponsors, donors, and storytellers. 

ROSE HURWITZ
PhD candidate, Cultural Anthropology, Dallas Jewish Historical Society
Project: Contributing to the Dallas Jewish Historical Society's Oral History Program interviewing and cataloging life histories of members of the Jewish community of Dallas. Specifically, the experiences of Jewish people living in North Dallas that were impacted by the October 2019 tornado and their recovery.

LAURA NARVAEZ
PhD candidate, History, Women's Alliance-First Unitarian Church of Dallas
Project: Recovering the stories of women at the FUU Church from when the Women's Alliance raised funds in support of Roe v. Wade during the late 1960s and early 1970s, allowing for a different narrative to emerge that complicates the relationship between the ethical beliefs about abortion and religion.  

Undergraduate, Biological Sciences and Health & Society double major, Sci-Tech Discovery Center
Project: Planning, setting up, and executing science experiments at the Sci-Tech Discovery Center, an interactive children's museum that focuses on science, math and technology. Also assisted in running the summer camp for first and second graders. 

NICHOLAS SIMPSON
Undergraduate, Health and Society, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE)
Project: Working to ethnographically analyze the impact of La Voz de la CONFENIAE, a radio program started by the Confederation of the Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon with the goal of spreading public health information and cultural broadcasts to amazon communities.

CYNTHIA TAYLOR
PhD candidate, Liberal Studies, City of Dallas Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability
Project: Researching recommendations for the City of Dallas Environmental council regarding monetizing the urban forest of Dallas and helped to protect, and enhance the ecosystem, trees, and green spaces of Dallas to improve public health. Also researched implementing a city forest credit program that requires the urban tree canopy to be maintained, preserved, and protected. 

TERESA ACOSTA
Undergraduate, Biological Sciences and Human Rights double major
Project: Collaborating with ethics faculty members at UT Southwestern Medical School to ensure that its ethics curriculum meets or exceeds the academic standards of the nation’s top medical schools. 

MARNE CHACON
PhD candidate, Anthropology
Project: Exploring the decision-making process of patients, families, medical personnel, caregivers, and spiritual counselors in a hospice setting at the Faith Presbyterian Hospital.

ZACH DEMOYA
PhD candidate, Religious Studies
Project: Partnering with White Rock United Methodist Church and Owenwood Farm and Neighbor Space to explore, identify, and analyze the ways in which faith communities implement cooperative business models in their local communities as a practical means of “mission,” promoting agency, economic stimulus, and market outreach as intrinsic byproducts.  

PhD candidate, History
Project: Working with For Oak Cliff to learn more about how urban redevelopment projects affects Black inner-city communities. She will specifically focus on the Tenth Street Historical District to explain the history of the former Freedman town.

SAMANTHA LAGOS
PhD candidate, 
Project: Focusing on the archival preparation of historical documents, photographs, and artifacts along with developing and maintaining a membership database and contact strategy for Remembering Black Dallas, a local nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting African American culture, life, and history in Dallas and surrounding cities. 

BRADY MARTIN
Undergraduate, Public Policy, Human Rights, and Spanish triple major
Project: Working with the nonprofit organization All Wheels Up to advocate for wheelchair space on aircrafts. Brady’s advocacy plan includes working with representatives from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in Washington, D.C. to discuss the feasibility of wheelchair space on air carriers and planning All Wheels Up’s first annual “Walk, Run and Roll for Accessible Air Travel” fundraiser.

RACHEL MORROW
Undergraduate, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
Project: Working with Meals on Wheels to identify clients in need of a COVID-19 vaccine and scheduling at-home vaccinations as many clients are homebound and unable to schedule a vaccine appointment due to a lack of technology. 

JONATHAN ANGULO
PhD candidate, History
Project: Co-creation and management of the “Class of COVID Oral History Project” with SMU Archives (joint project with Ashton Reynolds). The project will document how SMU’s graduating students, both undergraduate and graduate, navigated ethical questions of personal and community responsibilities.

NUSAIBA CHOWDHURY
PhD candidate, Clinical Anthropology
Project: Volunteering with International Rescue Committee (Dallas, TX) Intensive Case Management Team for Refugee Resettlement, including opportunity to research challenges and gaps in service in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

CAROLINE GUTOWSKI
Senior, Biological Sciences and Health and Society double major, pre-med
Project: During this unprecedented time, health crises and diseases continue to plague the most vulnerable individuals. Working for the Bridge Breast Network, serving underserved populations and stressed healthcare systems to research and conduct community outreach on breast health awareness, the importance of early detection and access to healthcare.

HANNAH HALL
Junior, Human Rights and French Studies double major
Project: Collecting and analyzing research for SMU’s Deason Center for Criminal Justice Reform, constructing a data set of criminal justice policies affecting prisoners and their human rights while incarcerated during a pandemic.

VANESSA LAREZ
Senior, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs major
Project: Conducting research on how global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic shift or influence political attitudes and civic engagement among Hispanic voters in North Texas.

JOSEPH LEE
Junior, Human Rights and Chinese double major, pre-med
Project: Working with UT Southwestern Medical Center Dr. Elizabeth Heitman to develop an online policy library for the ethical use of advanced technology in end-of-life care. This collection of policies will be an important resource in developing hospital guidelines and understanding practice standards across the country.

MEGHAN LOWREY
PhD candidate, Clinical Anthropology
Project: Working with Access Esperanza Clinic in McAllen, TX, to build a comprehensive curriculum for their sexual health education program. Her work and research at the clinic lay important groundwork for her dissertation in the ethics of migrant reproductive health.

MARK PIERCE
PhD candidate, Philosophy of Education
Project: Researching adaptable models of distance learning that can be implemented for highly mobile students by collecting data from Dallas area family shelters and children’s support organizations during the COVID-19 outbreak.

JANICE RABIAN
MFA candidate, Stage Design
Project: Examining the future of the American Theatre Industry and the success of various companies’ attempts to maintain operations and engagement in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ASHTON REYNOLDS
PhD candidate, History
Project: Co-creation and management of “Class of COVID Oral History Project” with SMU Archives (joint project with Jonathan Angulo). The project will document how SMU’s graduating students (both undergraduate and graduate) navigated ethical questions of personal and community responsibilities. 

Sienna Dugan

Class of 2020

Field data collection at refugee camps in Rwanda

Roxana Farokhnia

Class of 2020

Case management for homeless families at Vogel Alcove in Dallas

Aria Fuller

Class of 2022

Organizing for immigration rights at Workers Defense Project in Dallas

Marie Joung

Class of 2020

Researching implementation of NIH diversity policies at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas

Carol Sale

Class of 2020

Anthropological study of moral distress among staff working with disabled children and their families at Associação Saúde Criança in São Paulo, Brazil

Tyler Womack

PhD Student

Researching inter-disciplinary dialogue on ethics in the fields of business, finance, economics, theology and philosophy at SMU in Dallas