Current Social Justice Interns
Learn more about some of our current Social Justice Interns, their work, and what they're learning from the experience.
Genevieve Baynes
FORA Restorative Justice
Joie Cabrera
My name is Joie Cabrera (she/her), I’m a Senior studying Psychology with a minor in Asian Studies. I’ve been paired with ONE Northside, an organization whose work focuses on addressing inequalities and building collective power to create a neighborhood in which all can thrive. I’m excited to join their team as a Community Safety Intern. In this role, I look towards promoting community safety and police accountability and working with the Violence Prevention team, a group dedicated to making a direct impact on those affected by gun violence. Alongside these roles, I look forward to working with ONE Northside to ensure that public safety policies protect everyone. We cannot expect a community to thrive if its members feel unsafe and/or experience structural injustice. To move towards a safer Chicago for all, we must address systemic violence that unjustly targets marginalized communities and directly work with residents by addressing key issues they have about safety and police violence.
Liz-Anne De Beauville-Jones
My name is Liz-Anne De Beauville-Jones, and I am a senior at Loyola University Chicago. As a philosophy major and law and politics minor, my goals are to serve others, shed light on pertinent topics, and advocate for those still on their journey of discovering their voice. During my social justice internship, I will be a Program’s Intern at Girl Forward. This organization provides essential tools for female refugees who have been displaced due to various forms of conflict in their countries. As a program's intern, I’m lending my knowledge and creativity to support their core programs, which include mentoring, tutoring, and creating safe spaces. I am also eager to learn about how organizations like this navigate the various policies that affect their operations, as well as lead change for the community. Not only am I excited about this venture and taking on personal projects, but I am exceedingly honored to work with the brave souls who found a safe haven in Girl Forward, and I anticipate learning from them as well.
Amara Grajewski
My name is Amara Grajewski. I am a current senior at Loyola with an academic focus in Global Studies and Religious Studies. I am lucky to be working with Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America (FOR A). Although I have been tutoring at FORA for a year, I am excited to be stepping into a new role as a Programmatic Restorative Justice Intern. As an intern, I have the opportunity to bring my teaching experience into the administrative side of an education-based nonprofit. I believe that building my experience on both of these ends will allow me to better assist the children who I work with, who face a unique set of obstacles. I believe that every child should be made aware of their intelligence and the unique gifts they have to offer the world. A great way to nurture this self-assurance is through skills such as literacy and education. As an organization, FORA recognizes that education is a form of empowerment, and I take great pride in working with them to forward this mission with the children in their program.
Naina Kapur
Hi! My name is Naina and I am a second-year student at Loyola. I am a Psychology major with minors in Law and Politics and Spanish, and I am also a part of the Interdisciplinary Honors College. I am so thrilled to be joining the team at Misericordia as their Personal Effectiveness Program Intern. At Misericordia, I have the opportunity to help improve the lives of people with physical and intellectual disabilities using new technology. Our goal is to help improve quality of life and overall engagement. This internship is particularly special to me because not only am I deeply interested in the intersection of law, psychology, and ethics, but I also live with a physical disability. So, my goal with this internship is to further explore how others with disabilities are affected by the world around them. I am so excited to see what this experience holds for me and the team that I will get to work with!
Avery Kendrick
Jasmyn Maldonado
My name is Jasmyn Maldonado, and I am a sophomore at Loyola. I am from Oak Park, Illinois, and I am majoring in Biology with a minor in Psychology. Through Loyola’s Social Justice Internship Program, I’m thrilled to be paired at Misericordia as their Developmental Programs intern! At Misericordia, I have the honor to work with adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. In my role, I will be assisting residents during the day while they attend various programs. There are over 40 programs Misericordia offers for residents that include wellness, education, art, technology, graceful living, and horticulture. This internship will not only help me gain valuable knowledge about residents with intellectual disabilities and how to implement activities to improve their quality of life, but also strengthen my future aspirations to become a physician assistant. Through CNA experience, I have learned the importance of making sure that all voices are heard and advocating for those who may not be able to speak for themselves.
Vanessa Martinez Garduno
My name is Vanessa Martinez Garduño, and I’m a sophomore at Loyola University with a strong passion for immigrant and refugee rights. As I explore potential career paths, I’ve discovered a deep commitment to social justice and advocacy. Through Loyola’s Social Justice Internship Program, I will be interning with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting immigrants and refugees. The organization provides critical legal services and resources to individuals and families who cannot afford representation. I'm very excited to be a part of the immigrant services team, in which I will assist with casework by translating and helping clients draft their personal declarations. My goal for this upcoming year is to contribute to a safe and welcoming space where members of Chicago’s immigrant community feel supported.
Johanna Rodriguez Osegueda
My name is Johanna Rodriguez Osegueda. I am a sophomore studying Environmental Engineering with a minor in Mathematics at Loyola. This year, I am honored to be interning at ONE Northside as a Community Organizer. Having experienced firsthand growing up how urban sprawl is encroaching El Salvador’s natural beauty with new buildings and pollution at an alarming rate; I became passionate about environmental conservation and sustainable technologies early on in my life. Having now moved to Chicago for college, I have also noticed how this reality is strongly affecting cities in the United States, alongside gentrification and a housing crisis resulting from social inequality and resource exploitation. Being passionate about addressing these issues, at ONE Northside I aim to support environmental justice campaigns at Chicago Public Schools, as well as infrastructure and emission awareness efforts in the area.
Mustafa Unat
Learn more about some of our current Social Justice Interns, their work, and what they're learning from the experience.
Genevieve Baynes
FORA Restorative Justice
Joie Cabrera
My name is Joie Cabrera (she/her), I’m a Senior studying Psychology with a minor in Asian Studies. I’ve been paired with ONE Northside, an organization whose work focuses on addressing inequalities and building collective power to create a neighborhood in which all can thrive. I’m excited to join their team as a Community Safety Intern. In this role, I look towards promoting community safety and police accountability and working with the Violence Prevention team, a group dedicated to making a direct impact on those affected by gun violence. Alongside these roles, I look forward to working with ONE Northside to ensure that public safety policies protect everyone. We cannot expect a community to thrive if its members feel unsafe and/or experience structural injustice. To move towards a safer Chicago for all, we must address systemic violence that unjustly targets marginalized communities and directly work with residents by addressing key issues they have about safety and police violence.
Liz-Anne De Beauville-Jones
My name is Liz-Anne De Beauville-Jones, and I am a senior at Loyola University Chicago. As a philosophy major and law and politics minor, my goals are to serve others, shed light on pertinent topics, and advocate for those still on their journey of discovering their voice. During my social justice internship, I will be a Program’s Intern at Girl Forward. This organization provides essential tools for female refugees who have been displaced due to various forms of conflict in their countries. As a program's intern, I’m lending my knowledge and creativity to support their core programs, which include mentoring, tutoring, and creating safe spaces. I am also eager to learn about how organizations like this navigate the various policies that affect their operations, as well as lead change for the community. Not only am I excited about this venture and taking on personal projects, but I am exceedingly honored to work with the brave souls who found a safe haven in Girl Forward, and I anticipate learning from them as well.
Amara Grajewski
My name is Amara Grajewski. I am a current senior at Loyola with an academic focus in Global Studies and Religious Studies. I am lucky to be working with Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America (FOR A). Although I have been tutoring at FORA for a year, I am excited to be stepping into a new role as a Programmatic Restorative Justice Intern. As an intern, I have the opportunity to bring my teaching experience into the administrative side of an education-based nonprofit. I believe that building my experience on both of these ends will allow me to better assist the children who I work with, who face a unique set of obstacles. I believe that every child should be made aware of their intelligence and the unique gifts they have to offer the world. A great way to nurture this self-assurance is through skills such as literacy and education. As an organization, FORA recognizes that education is a form of empowerment, and I take great pride in working with them to forward this mission with the children in their program.
Naina Kapur
Hi! My name is Naina and I am a second-year student at Loyola. I am a Psychology major with minors in Law and Politics and Spanish, and I am also a part of the Interdisciplinary Honors College. I am so thrilled to be joining the team at Misericordia as their Personal Effectiveness Program Intern. At Misericordia, I have the opportunity to help improve the lives of people with physical and intellectual disabilities using new technology. Our goal is to help improve quality of life and overall engagement. This internship is particularly special to me because not only am I deeply interested in the intersection of law, psychology, and ethics, but I also live with a physical disability. So, my goal with this internship is to further explore how others with disabilities are affected by the world around them. I am so excited to see what this experience holds for me and the team that I will get to work with!
Avery Kendrick
Jasmyn Maldonado
My name is Jasmyn Maldonado, and I am a sophomore at Loyola. I am from Oak Park, Illinois, and I am majoring in Biology with a minor in Psychology. Through Loyola’s Social Justice Internship Program, I’m thrilled to be paired at Misericordia as their Developmental Programs intern! At Misericordia, I have the honor to work with adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. In my role, I will be assisting residents during the day while they attend various programs. There are over 40 programs Misericordia offers for residents that include wellness, education, art, technology, graceful living, and horticulture. This internship will not only help me gain valuable knowledge about residents with intellectual disabilities and how to implement activities to improve their quality of life, but also strengthen my future aspirations to become a physician assistant. Through CNA experience, I have learned the importance of making sure that all voices are heard and advocating for those who may not be able to speak for themselves.
Vanessa Martinez Garduno
My name is Vanessa Martinez Garduño, and I’m a sophomore at Loyola University with a strong passion for immigrant and refugee rights. As I explore potential career paths, I’ve discovered a deep commitment to social justice and advocacy. Through Loyola’s Social Justice Internship Program, I will be interning with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting immigrants and refugees. The organization provides critical legal services and resources to individuals and families who cannot afford representation. I'm very excited to be a part of the immigrant services team, in which I will assist with casework by translating and helping clients draft their personal declarations. My goal for this upcoming year is to contribute to a safe and welcoming space where members of Chicago’s immigrant community feel supported.
Johanna Rodriguez Osegueda
My name is Johanna Rodriguez Osegueda. I am a sophomore studying Environmental Engineering with a minor in Mathematics at Loyola. This year, I am honored to be interning at ONE Northside as a Community Organizer. Having experienced firsthand growing up how urban sprawl is encroaching El Salvador’s natural beauty with new buildings and pollution at an alarming rate; I became passionate about environmental conservation and sustainable technologies early on in my life. Having now moved to Chicago for college, I have also noticed how this reality is strongly affecting cities in the United States, alongside gentrification and a housing crisis resulting from social inequality and resource exploitation. Being passionate about addressing these issues, at ONE Northside I aim to support environmental justice campaigns at Chicago Public Schools, as well as infrastructure and emission awareness efforts in the area.
Mustafa Unat