Courtney Handy
University of Florida Levin College of Law
Courtney Handy is a second-year student at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. This past summer she worked as an extern with the Fifth Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program in Ocala, Florida. Courtney currently serves as the Vice President of the Black Law Students Association and as a Teaching Assistant for Legal Writing and Appellate Advocacy. She also participated in an Alternative Spring Break program in New Orleans, LA and served as the Family Law Society 1L section representative.
Courtney received a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida. During this time, she was active in the Burnett Honors College, President’s Leadership Council, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Among other leadership positions, Courtney dedicated countless hours to volunteer activities which fostered her passion for youth and underrepresented populations.
Na’imah Lafferty
St. Thomas University School of Law
Na’imah J. Lafferty is a native of the Bronx, New York and a third-year law student at the St. Thomas University School of Law. Na’imah received her Bachelor of Science in Sport Management from Hampton University in 2011 and her Master of Business Administration from Strayer University in 2016. As a St. Thomas law student, Na’imah is enrolled in the Tax Law Certificate program. She participates in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program every spring and has served as a Student Representative for the St. Thomas Law Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. This past summer, Na’imah served as the summer fellow for the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic at Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. After graduation, Na’imah aspires to attain an LL.M. in Taxation and to continue serving the low-income tax community.
As a proud first-generation college graduate and law student, Na’imah has a passion for mentorship, uplifting the community, and inspiring the next generation of Black attorneys. Na’imah serves her local community as President and mentor of the Honorable Peter R. Palermo Program, a partnership between St. Thomas Law and Miami Carol City High School Law Magnet Program. As a mentor, Na’imah helps the high school students learn different aspects of constitutional and criminal law. Na’imah also serves as President of the Caribbean Law Student Association and Vice-President of Financial Affairs of the St. Thomas Law Moot Court Board.
Abrafi Osei-Kofi
University of Florida Levin College of Law
Abrafi Osei-Kofi is a second-year student at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Abrafi graduated from Monmouth College in 2017 where she received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science, French, and International Studies. Abrafi decided to become a public interest lawyer after a visit to a prison in her home country of Ghana, where she saw the horrible conditions prisoners (some of whom were innocent) lived in. As an undergraduate, she interned with a contract public defender for the town of Monmouth. She studied at American University during her senior year where she participated in the Justice and Law Program. While in DC, Abrafi interned with a nonprofit organization known as DC Law Students in Court.
Abrafi’s interest in serving the community continued in law school. At the University of Florida, she serves as the community service chair for both the Black Law Students Association and the Immigration Law Students Association. She is a volunteer with the Ask-A-Lawyer Project and the Alachua County Pro Se Clinic. During her first year, she participated in the Alternative Spring Program where she worked at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services with the unemployment and public benefits unit. During her first summer, Abrafi interned with the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic in Massachusetts, where she gained experience working on matters involving the Violence Against Women’s Act and asylum applications. Abrafi will be participating in the Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Clinic at UF law this fall.
Maria Camila Rodriguez
University of Miami School of Law
Maria Camila Rodriguez is a first-generation Latina from Colombia. She is a rising 3L at The University of Miami School of Law in the Social Justice & Public Interest Concentration focusing on Civil Rights. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French from the University of Florida.
During her time at Miami Law, Maria has served as a Miami Law Ambassador, participated in HOPE’s Alt-Break in Jackson Mississippi working for the Mississippi Center for Justice, and is the incoming Co-President for the International Law Society. Maria had the honor of representing indigenous Colombian communities at the UN Commission on the Status of Women while serving as an intern with the Miami Law Human Rights Clinic. During the summer of 2018, Maria served as a certified legal intern at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. Passionate about serving the community and practicing public interest and constitutional law, Maria ultimately hopes to join the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office after graduation.
Katrina Tomas
University of Miami School of Law
Katrina Tomas is a 3L and Public Interest Scholar at the University of Miami School of Law. In 2016 she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Art History, focusing on feminist performance art and urban architecture. Her passion for environmental justice and community development began at Penn, assisting doctors in public health clinics and researching the accessibility of sustainable urban infrastructure. As a 1L, Katrina was a research assistant with Miami Waterkeeper and volunteer with Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc (LSGMI) in their mobile home project. Katrina spent her first summer as an intern with Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program working on impact litigation cases concerning energy regulation. During her 2L year Katrina interned with Earthjustice in their Miami office and worked with LSGMI to provide hurricane disaster relief assistance in the Florida Keys as part of the Legal Alternative Spring Break project. Katrina spent her second summer working with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest in their Environmental Justice Program where she helped address the disproportionate impact that environmental degradation and waste management policies have on poor communities of color. As a 3L she is serving as the President of the Environmental Law Society and the Senior Articles Editor of the University of Miami Law Review. Katrina is also a member of the Public Interest Leadership Board and the Society of Bar and Gavel.