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KIM BELL ANDREWS ’11

KIM BELL ANDREWS

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BA in English, Creative Writing specialization; Minor in Human Rights (2011)

Florida Coastal School of Law (JD 2015)

SMU Accomplishments: During her undergraduate career, Kim was active in the Association of Black Students and also participated in student programming with the SMU Human Rights Program. 

Postbaccalaureate Career: At Florida Coastal School of Law, Kim was a member of the FCSL’s Moot Court team that ranked number one in the country during her tenure. Kim interned at the Office of the Public Defender, 4th Judicial Circuit in Jacksonville, Florida and also completed an internship at the Office of the State Attorney, 7th Judicial Circuit in St. Augustine, Florida.She continues her human rights advocacy today as a criminal defense and civil rights attorney in the District of Columbia. 

Learn more about Kim’s post-graduation journey through the following links:

Updated January 2022 

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MORA NAMDAR ’08

MORA NAMDAR ’08

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BA in Political Science, International Studies; Minors in Human Rights, Philosophy, and Fine Arts (2008)

American University Washington College of Law: JD (2011)

American University School of International Service: MA in International Affairs (2011)

SMU Accomplishments: At SMU, Mora served as President of Amnesty International, SMU Student Senate’s Organizations Committee Chair, and Alpha Chi Omega. She was one of the first graduates of the SMU Human Rights Program and also authored and passed Student Senate’s first legislation to urge SMU’s administration to offer a human rights major.

Postbaccalaureate Career: Before returning to private practice, Mora was appointed by the President of the United States to perform the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs. Prior to taking that role, Mora served as the Vice President of Legal, Compliance, and Risk at the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of State working on a variety of global issues. Mora worked closely with the White House National Security Council and other interagency counterparts to create and implement effective policy supporting US national security and international human rights interests. Previously, Mora worked for Occidental Petroleum (Oxy), a Fortune 500 company, reporting directly to the V.P of Government Affairs and for the Voice of America advising on National Security and Policy.

Mora has worked with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and has extensive experience in domestic and international issues. She has successfully represented clients which include individuals, corporations, political candidates, nonprofit organizations, and businesses. Mora is licensed to practice law in Texas and Washington D.C. and was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the American University’s National Security Law Brief. She has been published in the Hill, the National Interest, 1945, and other publications. 

Mora currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council. She has worked on human rights issues for many years and was invited to speak about human rights during the United Nations General Assembly by the U.S. State Department in New York City in 2018. Mora founded BAM Beauty Bar, which enables giving back to hundreds of charity organizations and worthy causes in North Texas. She was named by Modern Luxury Magazine as a “Dynamic Women” in 2018 and “Power Player” in 2021.

Learn more about Mora’s post-graduation journey through the following links: 

Updated January 2022

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WREN LEE ’21

WREN LEE ’21

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BA in Creative Computation; Minor in Human Rights (2021)

SMU Accomplishments: At SMU, Wren served as the Co-Founder and Lead Designer of Green Book, Co-Primary Investigator of the “Gay and Greek” project, and a Hegi Career Center Student Advisory Board Member. Their SMU honors and awards include the SMU Human Rights Fellowship and Engaged Learning Fellowship.

Postbaccalaureate Career: After graduating, Wren began working in the advertising industry as a Junior Experience Designer at Publicis Sapient. In the greater Boston community, they serve as a Producer of The Chinatown Project.

Updated January 2022

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JENNIFER HUDSON ’12

JENNIFER HUDSON ’12

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BBA in Accounting; Minor in Human Rights (2012)

SMU Accomplishments: At SMU, Jennifer was involved with the SMU Service House and Civil Rights Pilgrimage.

Postbaccalaureate Career: Currently, Jennifer works as a Bank OZK, Client Service Specialist

Updated January 2022

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EMILY ZEINTEK ‘19

EMILY ZEINTEK ’19

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BS in Biology; Minor in Human Rights (2019)

Texas Tech Health Science Center Medical School-El Paso: MD (2024) 

UT Health: MPH (2024)

SMU Accomplishments: At SMU, Emily co-founded a health and human rights discussion group. She also volunteered with the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation’s EAGLE Scholars Program. 

Postbaccalaureate Career: Emily currently attends Texas Tech Health Science Center Medical School-El Paso, where she started a campus garden and serves as Co-Leader of the Student Wellness Organization. She is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Paso; works at clinics on weekends to educate patients in waiting rooms about common diseases; teaches on diabetes with EP HEAT, a local student-directed organization; and is co-writing an informative children’s book with classmates. Emily says, “I do local career days and LOVE that since I want to go into pediatrics!”

Updated January 2022

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HANAN ESAILI ‘15

HANAN ESLAILI ’15

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BA in Convergence Journalism; Minor in Human Rights (2015)

SMU Accomplishments: At SMU, Hanan served as Concerts Chair for Program Council and held multiple roles on both The Daily Campus and The Daily Update leadership teams. 

Postbaccalaureate Career: After graduating, Hanan worked as Editorial Assistant for D Magazine in 2015; Editorial Assistant for Praetorian Digital from 2016-2017; and Associate Digital Producer, MVT Content Lead, and HBOMax Promo Project Manager for HBO from 2018-2021. Currently, she is Program Manager of Media Creative Strategy at Facebook. She has been published in textbooks and HuffPost for her article, “Why Don’t Young People Vote?” Hanan has won over 15 honors in entertainment and marketing, including an Emmy nomination and Emmy Award. Beyond her work in the tech and entertainment industries, Hanan volunteers at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum as well as the Bowery Mission in New York City. She has also participated in her local ACLU chapter’s letter writing campaigns to advocate for better conditions at prisons and closing down Rikers Island.

Learn more about Hanan’s post-graduation journey through the following links:

Updated December 2021

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NYA WATSON ’16

NYA WATSON ’16

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BS in Sociology; Minor in Human Rights (2016)

Washington University in St. Louis: MSW in Domestic Social and Economic Development, Management (2019)

SMU Accomplishments: At SMU, Nya was involved with the SMU McNair Scholars Program and Alpha Phi Omicron. She served as a Social Impact Fellow, Research Assistant for the Department of Sociology, and Connect Mentor.

Postbaccalaureate Career: After graduating, Nya worked as a Homeless Division Associate for the City of Dallas in 2017. She has also served as a Micro-Entreprise Intern for Justice Petersen in 2018, as a Community Reinvestment Initiatives Intern from 2018-2019 and Community Reinvestment Initiatives Analyst in 2019 for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. From 2019-2021, she worked as an Assistant Examiner for Consumer Affairs for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where she is now an Associate Examiner, Consumer Affairs. Her honors at Washington University in St. Louis include the Bettie Schroth Johnson Scholarship and Phi Alpha Honor Society.

Learn more about Nya’s post-graduation journey through the following link:

Updated January 2022

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ANDREA NGUYEN ’19

ANDREA NGUYEN ’19

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BA in Anthropology, Markets & Culture; Minor in Human Rights (2019)

University of California at David: MS in Transportation, Technology and Policy (2023)

SMU Accomplishments: Andrea traveled globally with the SMU Human Rights Program to Latvia and Lithuania through the program’s Holocaust education trip focused on Eastern Europe. At SMU, she was heavily involved with the SMU Service House, led Kairos SMU Creative Journal as Co-Editor-in-Chief, and served as a trip developer with SMU Alternative Breaks. Andrea volunteered with the CONNECT Leadership Development Program as a peer mentor  and worked with the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity. Through her Hunt Institute Research, she led the Blockchain Impact Project team, exploring the impact of blockchain on start-ups and nonprofits. Meanwhile, Andrea deepened her passion for transportation equity through her research with the SMU Anthropology Department research, where she used GIS mapping to study multi-modal transportation models and their relationship to socioeconomic segregation.  

Postbaccalaureate Career: After graduation, Andrea worked with the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, was selected as a Fellow with March for Science, and interned for the Alliance for Automotive Innovators. Today, Andrea is advancing her commitment to transportation equity and environmental justice through her graduate studies in Transportation, Technology, and Policy at UC Davis. 

Updated January 2022

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KAREN TRAN ’15

KAREN TRAN ’15

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BA in Anthropology, Journalism; Minor in Human Rights (2015)

SMU Accomplishments: Karen was heavily involved in both academic work and service during her undergraduate career. This Rotunda scholar was also selected for the McNair Scholars Program, a fellowship that allowed her to conduct independent research.  She was also active in her living-learning community, the SMU Service House, as well as Circle K International and Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority. 

Postbaccalaureate Career: After graduation, Karen worked in both nonprofit and business organizations as she leveraged data analytics for social impact. She has worked with design-thinking firm New Sector Alliance/MENTOR Illinois, engaged in data analysis and consulting for Brandtrust, and supported innovative companies like BuildCentral as they fuse tech with design and data. Today she works as Associate Product Manager at Strongarm Technologies. 

Updated January 2022

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JOHN KALKANLI ‘16

JOHN KALKANI ’16

Educational Background: Southern Methodist University: BA in International Studies, Markets & Culture; Minor in Human Rights (2016)

Southern Methodist University: MLS in Liberal Studies with concentrations in Human Rights and Social Justice, Global Studies (2018)

University of Texas at Dallas: MA in Humanities/Humanistic Studies (2022); Certificate in Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Studies (2022)

University of Texas at Dallas: Teaching Certificate in Social Studies (2023)

SMU Accomplishments: In college, John was involved in SMU’s chapter of Amnesty International, as well as with Alternative Breaks, a service-based organization through which students volunteer locally and nationally. 

Postbaccalaureate Career: Upon graduation, John completed an internship at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, where he worked as a Student Lecturer Intern & Archivist, where he continues to work as a docent.  John is also a docent at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. He volunteers by teaching conversational English to university students in Istanbul as a way of giving back to his home city. 

John advocates extensively with various disability rights organizations. He serves on the board of the Dallas Chapter National Federation of the Blind, America’s largest civil rights organization for the visually impaired. He advocates for the rights of blind Americans by lobbying each year in Washington DC to secure equal opportunities for his community. He also serves on the board of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) – Dallas Chapter as Chair of the Advocacy Committee (AC).

John is working towards a teaching certification to become a Social Studies teacher in grades 7-12. Additionally, he is training to work as a braille transcriber through the Library of Congress. John writes that, “Accessible education is the key to success.”

Learn more about John’s post-graduation journey through the following links:

Updated January 2022