Human Rights Watch Student Task Force


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The Student Task Force Team

	Pam Bruns, STF Executive Director [Email] Pam created the vision for the Student Task Force and organized its co-founders in 1999. Early in her career during the Vietnam War, she traveled to Thailand to research the extent of the communist insurgency in northern border areas; she also was a freelance journalist and wrote about Eastern Europe, the Munich Olympics in 1972, holocaust survivors and other subjects. Pam became a public education reform activist and teacher (third grade through high school) before joining the Milken Family Foundation as a Public Affairs Specialist, working to promote excellence in teaching in the U.S. From 1996-2002 Pam served as Director of Human Rights Watch in Southern California. She broadened support for HRW in Los Angeles by establishing the Young Advocates, Women’s Rights Committee, HRW University Project and the Student Task Force. As adjunct professor teaching human rights at Mount St. Mary’s College, she founded the Human Rights Film Festival in 2003. Volunteering to direct STF and developing human rights education as part of STF has been Pam’s primary focus since 2005.

	Gabriel Barreras, STF Project Liaison [Email] Gabriel received his B.A. in Theatre and International Relations from the University of Southern California in 2006. Since then, he served as the Grant Writer and Program Coordinator for the Asian Youth Center in San Gabriel, CA. He went on to coordinate national student outreach programs for Oxfam America based in Boston. In addition, he has consulted numerous development and rights-based organizations including the U.S. Government in Vietnam, the UNEP, and youth organizations in Romania and Uruguay. At STF, Gabriel oversees the day-to-day operations and maintains all communications and online material for the HRE Portal.

	Nancy Nazarian-Medina, STF Program Advisor [Email] Nancy is a co-founder of STF and has been an essential member of the STF leadership team since 1999. She currently volunteers as the STF Program Advisor in the Santa Clarita Valley where she mentors several STF high school chapters and coordinates STF activities and goals with William S. Hart District School District administrators. Previously Nancy served as Dean of Students at Immaculate Heart High School and taught AP Government, AP U.S. History and Economics and developed curriculum for a senior year elective, International Relations, which she taught for seven years. She was also a Curriculum Developer and Trainer for the online education program, One Global Tribe, focusing on service-learning projects.

	Suzanne Johnson, STF Intern 2011-12, Los Angeles [Email] Suzanne is currently attending UCLA as a third year psychology major and global studies minor. Some of her interests include playing the piano, scuba diving, skiing, cooking, and listening to music/reading over a good cup of coffee. Over the past couple of years she has volunteered with a number of human rights organizations and has spent a lot of time working with a local high school youth group.
	Mason Butts, STF Intern Spring 2012, Los Angeles [Email] Hi I’m Mason Butts and I am a junior at UCLA studying International Developmental Studies and Education. Through my college years I have become passionate about student growth and our opportunities to serve the nations abroad. I have enjoyed my experiences traveling to Haiti, Ecuador, and Australia doing missions and relief work. These trips have also changed my life back at home as I have become involved with many organizations on campus such as Social Entrepreneurs for Education, Campus Crusade for Christ, and the Sigma Chi Fraternity. I was born and raised in San Diego as I grew up loving the beach and playing football. It is so exciting to be working as an intern for STF as we advocate for children’s right to education around the world!
	Elizabeth Feiner, STF Intern Spring 2012, Los Angeles [Email] Hi Everyone! My name is Elizabeth Feiner and I am currently a senior at Pepperdine University. After a stint at culinary school and then taking time off to travel, work, and volunteer, I found International Studies was what I wanted to major in for my undergraduate degree. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and most of my family lives here. I still LOVE to cook and of course eat. I am an avid reader, and speak Spanish and a little bit of Arabic. I spent a lot of my late teenage years doing relief work in places such as Haiti, Uganda, and China. I am also a triathlete and am up before the sun training almost every day! I am looking forward to my semester interning for the STF, and hopefully get a chance to meet you all.
	Doug Smith, STF Intern Spring 2012, Santa Clarita [Email] Hello everyone. My name is Doug, I’m currently attending College of the Canyons in Valencia, CA. I’m majoring in International Relations; I one day hope to join the Peace Corps. I’m really passionate about our environment, and social justice. In my opinion trees are the greatest things ever! I love people, culture, meaningful conversations, hearing and sharing different ideas. I am honored to be a part of the STF team.

	Kristina Bruno, STF Intern Spring-Summer 2012 [Email] Hi everyone! My name is Kristina Bruno and I am a senior at UCLA studying International Development Studies with a Global Studies minor. I am from the beautiful town of Monterey, California, though I am enjoying my time here in the City of Angels. My hobbies include musical theatre, hip hop dance, rapping, traveling and doing anything outdoors. I have a huge passion for youth and community development and outreach and I volunteer with various organizations that work towards just that. Some organizations include UCLA’s Unicamp, UCLA’s Mentorship and AIDS Ambassador’s. Last fall, I studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina in a program on human rights and social movements. There, my knowledge and passion for the advocacy of human rights grew enormously. For an independent research project there, I studied how processes of art can be used as a tool for youth development and empowerment through teaching hip hop dance with outcome-based programs at an incarcerated youth facility. I hope to continue to combine my passion for the arts and for working with children in all that I do. I am very excited to be a part of the Human Rights Watch Student Task force!


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