Institute Hosts Recent Alumni for International Career Panel

Professor Peter Spiro, Sela Cowger ’17, Anu Thomas ’17, Kelsey Lee ’16, and Professor Jaya Ramji-Nogales

On Monday, January 21, the Institute for International Law and Public Policy hosted a panel discussion entitled “Careers in International Law.”  The event, which was cosponsored by the International Law Society, brought together three recent Temple Law graduates working in different fields in International Law.  Moderated by Professor Jaya Ramji-Nogales, the panel included Kelsey Lee ’16, Anu Thomas ’17, and Sela Cowger ’17.

Kelsey Lee ’16 is the Interim Policy and Advocacy Director at Unchained at Last and works to end child marriage across the United States.  She has worked at a variety of public interest and human rights organizations, both in the US and abroad.  She has experience with the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights in Italy, Greenpeace Southeast Asia in Thailand, and Global Rights Compliance in the United Kingdom. She has extensive research experience for leading international jurists and has published several papers on human rights, human trafficking, and sexual violence. She received her JD and Certificate in Trial Advocacy from Temple Law in 2016 and a B.A. in International Studies with Concentrations in Peace and Conflict Resolution and Europe from American University in 2013.

Professor Jaya Ramji-Nogales, Sela Cowger ’17, Kelsey Lee ’16, and Anu Thomas ’17

Anu Thomas ’17 is an associate in the Litigation Department of Ballard Spahr in Philadelphia.  Her practice focuses on counseling employees on a wide range of labor employment issues.  Prior to her work at Ballard Spahr, she served as an education and community outreach field officer and project manager at the Profugo Organization in South India, where she developed and implemented the English language curriculum. Anu maintains an active pro bono practice, particularly working with clients seeking asylum and other immigration-related matters.  Further, she is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.  While at Temple Law, Anu was the Editor-in-Chief of the Temple International and Comparative Law Journal.  She graduated magna cum laude from Villanova University in 2013.

Sela Cowger ’17 is a Judicial Law Clerk at the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in New York City.  During law school, she spent much of her time working with various immigrant rights and refugee organizations including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Migration Policy Institute, and the National Immigration Forum. She served as the Executive Articles Editor for the Temple International and Comparative Law Journal and as a fellow with the Institute for International Law and Public Policy.  Sela earned her B.A. in political science with distinction from the University of Chicago.  Prior to law school, she worked as an English language instructor in Fukushima, Japan.

Sela Cowger ’17, Anu Thomas ’17, and Kelsey Lee ’16