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Cornell University

Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies

Freeman Fellowship Recipients

The Reppy Institute offers the Harrop and Ruth Freeman Fellowships to encourage Cornell undergraduates to pursue summer work related to peace studies and conflict resolution in an otherwise unpaid position with a not-for-profit organization. 

Ann Nie is a 2022-23 Freeman Fellowship recipient. She is a  government major in the College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell and is interested in the intersection of international development and security studies.

Ann Nie's headshot

Internship Experience

Ann Nie is interning at the Greater Boston Legal Services. She began her internship with the Asian Outreach Unit in April 2019 when the number of hate crimes against the Asian community in the U.S. was surging. As part of this unit, she staffs weekly intake clinics, provides research and support to the attorneys, and engages with community groups. As a student intern, Ann has helped organize a week of action to end Southeast Asian deportations, conducted immigration screening intake with undocumented families from South Korea, and represented a client who does not speak English in an appeal hearing on her eligibility for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. 

“The pandemic completely changed my understanding of borders, citizenship, and immigration…. Every year, there are millions of immigrants, refugees, and non-immigrants who cannot return to their homeland for various reasons. They should not be criminalized for being unable to return home, and we need to help. Through this internship, I see the effectiveness of the law as a tool to empower my clients to seek justice.”—Ann Nie ‘21

Looking Ahead 

Through this internship, Ann connected with the community of immigrants and asylees in the Boston area, which inspired her to write a research paper about asylum cases that involve domestic violence. She will continue her internship and will mainly work on immigration and domestic violence-related cases. Ann plans to attend law school and pursue a career in international human rights, specifically, immigrants' and refugees' rights. 

Previous Winners

Vanessa Olguin headshot 2021

Vanessa Olguín 

Rising Senior, Government (A&S)

Vanessa will be interning at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) as a Protection Intern where she will be providing direct assistance to persons of concern (asylum seekers, refugees, and stateless people) through the Detention Hotline. Within the Protections and Solutions Unit, she will also be conducting research to support individual asylum cases and participating in relevant briefings, meetings and conferences with government agencies and NGOs. 

Craig Schulman headshot 2021

Craig Schulman 

Rising Senior, Policy Analysis and Management (CHE)

Craig will be working as a Policy Intern with the Advocacy Department at the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). Based in San Antonio, Texas, RAICES is a nonprofit organization that promotes conflict-resolution and peace by providing free legal services to immigrant children, families, and refugees. As an intern, he will be working alongside attorneys in RAICES’ Advocacy Department at the forefront of issues in the immigration system and governance.

Amy Alagor headshot 2021

Amy Alagor

Rising Senior, Biology and Society (CALS)

Amy’s internship is based on providing free medical services at health clinics that primarily serve communities in the Bronx that have been impacted by coronavirus. She will also be connecting patients with resources if they are facing food insecurity, domestic violence, and issues related to environmental injustice.