Alumni Leading the Way

LLM ALUMNA PARTNERS WITH MDR STUDENT TO ASSIST REFUGEES FROM AFGHANISTAN

Helen Winter (LLM ‘17) founded R3SOLUTE, a Berlin-based nonprofit organization that empowers refugees to manage conflicts in their communities through story-sharing, peer mediation and mental health awareness. Winter has partnered with current MDR student Sofia Ramyar to organize focused group discussions among the large number of Afghan refugees who have arrived in Germany following the collapse of the Afghanistan government and subsequent takeover by the Taliban. The focused group discussions will help participants better understand their new German community and also create a safe space wherein refugees may process their abrupt departure from their home country and imagine a more positive future.

“Every contribution, however big or small, makes a difference in the lives of thousands of people who are suffering from conflict and violence. For this reason, our world needs peacemakers at every level to bring understanding, deescalate conflicts in nonviolent ways, and promote safe and happy communities.”

— Sofia Ramyar

ADAM NOAKES (LLM ’20) PUBLISHES OP-ED ON SOLVING POLICING CHALLENGE IN TIMES OF SAN DIEGO

Straus Institute alumnus Adam Noakes published an opinion article, “It’s Time for Forgiveness and Reconciliation to Solve Policing Challenge,” in the Times of San Diego. The article proposes establishing a process to resolve grievances between the police and citizens that is based on forgiveness and reconciliation rather than revenge. Serving as an administrative law judge in San Diego, Noakes relates that, “I studied the concepts of apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation in a dispute resolution context with Professor Peter Robinson at the Straus Institute. Integrating a process into our justice system could be transformative, and I believe it may be the only way to move forward in peace."

ALUMNA ELIZABETH EUBANKS (’05, JD ’08) APPOINTED TO ABA COMMISSION ON DISABILITY RIGHTS

In August 2021, alumna Elizabeth Eubanks was appointed to the ABA Commission on Disability Rights. Eubanks graduated from Caruso Law with a certificate in dispute resolution, and found her passion for special education advocacy through her courses. “Disability is a natural part of the human experience,” Eubanks shares, “I am thrilled by the opportunity to join the commission and to promote the full and equal participation of people with disabilities in the legal field.”