ADDITIONAL LINKS
Alternative Break Projects
January 2011
In addition to students continuing work on their fall semester projects, a number of students were involved in the following during Winter Break 2010-2011:
- Twenty-two students travelled to Biloxi, Miss., to volunteer at the Mississippi Center for Justice, assisting the attorneys with post-Katrina housing issues, oil spill fallout, educating community members about a port expansion that disparately affects poor neighborhoods, and researching a defense against the closing of a historically African American school.
- Three students prepared declarations for victims of domestic violence. The declarations were used in the victims’ requests for temporary restraining orders. All five requests for TRO’s with UCI declarations were granted by the Judge.
- One student volunteered at the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, and was able to get expedited documents for a low-income client, proving that his landlord was fraudulently evicting him. Thanks to the student’s work, the client retained his HUD housing, and the case was dismissed.
- Approximately 10 students participated with the General Relief Advocacy Project, advocating on two separate days for services for the homeless, and those on the verge.
- Seven students volunteered with the HIV Immigration Project, doing research for HIV-positive clients, who are seeking asylum in the U.S. based in part on their medical condition.
- Five students researched jury misconduct case law. The research was used in a federal habeas petition filed in January.
Kudos to volunteers Nicole Ambrosetti, Francisco Balderrama, Jacob Barak, Joe Boniwell, Adam Brauner, Acrivi Coromelas, Myles Couch, Jeanne Detch, Carly Edelstein, Tiffany Full, Ryan Graham, Justin Greely, Brian Hardingham, Jennifer Henry, Jessica Hodgkins, Darren Kerstien, Jeff Klein, Michael Klinger, Genny Kristie, Jennifer Ludolph, Christine Luu, Denisha McKenzie, Danny Moss, Brian Murray, Richard Nguyen, Mallory Sepler-King, Isra Shah, Harnik Shukla, Andrea Smith, Emma Soichet, Lori Speak, Jaclyn Stahl, Phil Syers, Danila Toscano, Jenny Tryck, Kate Wagner, Brad Walters, Christy Ward, Michael Wasserman, Azure’De Wilkins, James Yoon and Xiangyu Zhang.
> Click here for current Alternative Break Opportunities
> Click here for projects offered during the current semester
Working at the Mississippi Center for Justice during winter break 2011, UCI Law students (clockwise, from left) Danny Moss, Christy Ward and Christine Luu conduct phone intakes from victims of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Students Jennifer Ludolph and Azure'De Wilkins, at left, assist residents of Katrina-impacted Hancock County fill out forms for homeowner assistance.
Justin Greely and Jennifer Ludolph, at left, went door to door in Katrina-impacted Hancock County to inform homeowners of new funding sources. But many properties were abandoned.
In another part of Mississippi, Ryan Graham, Jenny Tryck, Xiangyu Zhang and Acrivi Coromelas learn about the environmental impacts of a planned port expansion on local rural residents.