Maguire and Irby Family Public Service Interns for 2009

DALLAS (SMU) — Nine SMU students will spend Summer 2009 as Maguire and Irby Family Public Service Interns, learning how one person can make an extraordinary difference to someone who needs help.

The Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility has placed nearly 100 students in local, state, national and international public service jobs during the last 13 years.

Internship applicants are responsible for finding agencies to sponsor their projects, and interns are selected based on the ethical merit of their proposals and justice issues they will address.

The interns for 2009 are:

Danielle Czajka, a senior accounting major in the Cox School of Business, will work with Wings Ministry, which is dedicated to families of prisoners. She will help create a working budget for the nonprofit organization and prepare it for a full audit.

Nick Elledge, a sophomore in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences majoring in Spanish, political science and economics, will work with PEER Servants in Cusco, Peru, gathering data and interviewing clients for the receipt of microloans. He will write for a weekly microfinance blog.

Nureen Gulamani, a first-year student in Dedman College who plans to major in advertising, will intern in Atlanta with the American Civil Liberties Union, interviewing clients, filing court cases and arranging press releases.

Saira Husain, a first-year Dedman College student pursuing a double major in biology and anthropology, will intern at Children’s Museum for Peace and Human Rights in Karachi, Pakistan. She will provide materials and activities for students and help with logistics and writing.

Serena Johnson, a graduate student in Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, will intern at the Deaf Action Center in Dallas and will be responsible for educating offices about the Americans with Disabilities Act. She also will interpret meetings and presentations into and from American Sign Language.

Jason Minter, a second-year graduate student in statistics in Dedman College, will work with Youth First Texas, Dallas. He will undertake research and analysis, and assist with fund-raising. In addition he will be involved with counseling, mentoring and tutoring.

Amy Richards, a second-year Dedman School of Law student, will intern at the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in the Family Violence Division. Her responsibilities will include trial preparation, victim and witness contacts, and assisting with training.

Robert Robson, a first-year graduate student in the Master of Liberal Studies program, will intern for the immigration legal services department of the International Rescue Committee in Dallas, helping to provide low-cost legal advice and representation for displaced persons.

Max Taghizadeh, a junior majoring in biology/pre-med in Dedman College, will work for PediPlace in Lewisville, Texas, and provide research on child obesity, including medical ramifications and intervention strategies. He will also draft and implement a plan that addresses, informs and treats childhood obesity for PediPlace’s client population.

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