Meet our 2023-2024 Restorative Justice Interns!

Grace Gairani is a junior at the University of Loyola Chicago majoring in Criminal Justice with a minor in Law and Politics. She is currently on the pre-law track and is interested in attending law school after undergraduate to become a Civil Attorney. Grace’s interest in tutoring refugee kids stems from her passion to help children receive higher education that may have otherwise been unattainable for them. Additionally, Grace wants to be able to help the students at FORA by being honest, open, and generous in her teaching methods in order to be the best tutor possible. In her free time, Grace enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and spend time with her friends and family. 

Nathan Van Kampen is in his final year at the University of Loyola Chicago pursuing degrees in both Global Studies and Economics. Additionally, Nathan is part of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program. Nathan's motivations for coming to FORA include not only gaining experience working with a grassroot nonprofit organization but also to serve his community in being able to tutor FORA's wonderful and intelligent kids.

Vivian Bui grew up in New Jersey and moved to Chicago to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at Northwestern University. She is the proud daughter of Vietnamese refugees and is now a first-generation college student. Prior to volunteering at FORA, Vivian helped newly naturalized citizens register to vote and worked as an ESL and Citizenship Tutor helping immigrants prepare for their citizenship interviews. With her six years tutoring experience, Vivian was excited to combine her passions of supporting refugees and working with children.

Shaili Lotia is a junior at Bryn Mawr College majoring in international studies with a concentration in global health. She intends on attending law school and hopes to pursue international law and work on healthcare reform in both the developing and developed world. She chose to come to FORA as she strongly believes in advocating for the rights of a child. She believes every child deserves the right to childhood, and access to education is one of the many children denied. FORA’s objective of restoring literacy as a right strongly aligns with Shaili’s views on advocating for the rights of a child. Shaili hopes to continue her work with FORA through the remainder of her academic career as a volunteer.

Madison is a rising third year student at the University of Denver, studying international studies and psychology on a pre-law track, with the intention of pursuing a career in international advocacy. Working at FORA allows her to engage with new communities that might be experiencing different types of displacement from crimes against humanity, something she hopes to prosecute in the future as an international law attorney.

Mikaila Flagg grew up in Joliet, Illinois. She moved to the city to attend Loyola University Chicago. She is currently pursuing a bachelor of arts in political science and global studies with a minor in Spanish. Mikaila plans to continue at Loyola to pursue a Master's in international affairs. She hopes to one day work in immigration as a foreign service officer in South America. Mikaila began working for FORA in the spring of 2021 as a work-study educational fellow. Mikaila believes education gives children control and autonomy over their lives. Outside of FORA, Mikaila enjoys working for Loyola University Chicago's CHANGE: Challenging Antiquated Norms for Gender Equality and PDC: Political Discourse Club.

Lauren Hicks is a junior at Loyola University Chicago double majoring in education and sociology. She was drawn to the work FORA does after working with other education based non-profits in her home state and seeing how organizations who prioritize student success above all can be a force for good in a community. Her favorite part about working with the FORA students is watching them become confident and independent in their skills and she has had so much fun working here this summer.

Amelia Morrison is a rising sophomore at Northeastern University where she’s excited to explore the world and her community. Tutoring has been a huge part of fulfilling the purpose of that mission.

Jaden Welch-Jani is a rising sophomore studying International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, he has always been passionate about global affairs and issues affecting the Chicago community. Jaden has been connected with FORA for a long time, most recently serving as a volunteer robotics instructor in the spring of 2022. He is excited for the opportunity to serve as a Restorative Justice Intern for the summer of 2023.

Addison Feldman grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and currently attends Northwestern University. She is pursuing majors in social policy and international studies. Addison recently began as a tutor and administrative intern this summer. She has previously worked as a camp counselor and loves working with children! Addison is very passionate about the importance of literacy as an equalizer. She is also a member of Supplies For Dreams, a nonprofit based at Northwestern, where she helps organize free field trips for students at several elementary schools in Chicago. Addison is very excited to be spending her summer here at FORA!

Emily Ibrahim was born just south of Chicago and lived there until coming to Loyola University to pursue a degree in political science and global studies, along with a minor in economics. As a major advocate for refugee rights, Emily founded the Loyola Refugee Coalition in the spring of 2023, in hopes of raising awareness of the global refugee crisis across Loyola’s campus. Looking to do more for the refugee community specifically within Chicago, Emily came to FORA as a restorative justice intern in the summer of 2023. Upon graduation, she hopes to work for an international organization providing humanitarian assistance to refugees. In her free time, Emily enjoys running, reading, and playing soccer.

Connor Karwowski is a recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago where he studied Psychology, Music, and Spanish. When he realized he could combine his love of working with kids with his passion for advocacy, he jumped at the chance to work at FORA, and has loved every moment. In the future, Connor plans on applying to medical school in the hopes of eventually working in LGBTQ+ healthcare. In his free time, Connor listens to podcasts (please send him recs!) and volunteers at Nourishing Hope.

Maya was born and raised in New Jersey, and grew up with a love of reading and education. Following her high school graduation, she spent a year in Boston working as an AmeriCorps volunteer at a Boston public elementary school, supporting underserved fifth graders in English language arts. There, she discovered a love of educating young folks, and she currently is pursuing a degree in human development in context and sociology at Northwestern University with the hope of going into education or nonprofit administration. She also involves herself in numerous service- and education-focused groups which work in Chicago and Evanston to promote education equity in her local communities. 

Ashley Goldsmith grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and moved to Chicago to attend college at Loyola University Chicago where she is studying political science and sociology. Her passions for social justice and helping others led her to FORA. She choose to intern here this summer because she strongly believe all refugees should have a safe and nurturing environment to be empowered and educated. Outside of FORA, she enjoys bike riding and reading.

Austin Kim was born and raised in Naperville, then moved to Chicago at the age of twelve for school. I am currently a senior at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, and enjoy studying mathematics, chemistry, and physics. He came to FORA around one-and-a-half years ago in order to fulfill a graduation requirement, but have continued to come back ever since because he found volunteering and tutoring at FORA to be one of the most gratifying (and enjoyable) usages of the time that he has. In my free time, he practices piano, play video games, and read manga.

Parmita is a high school student who comes from an immigrant family. She personally did not speak English until she attended school, and faced the many challenges of navigating the school system as a ESL learner. However, she has had incredible support and guidance from a teacher who took the time to help her. By working at FORA, she hopes to be able to support students who are facing similar challenges.

Kylie Nethers has been involved in the education field for almost a decade as a tutor, high school teacher, and summer camp counselor. She has a passion for service and came to FORA seeking some guidance as to what she'd like to do when I finishes her masters in public policy next summer. In her free time, she loves to watch stand-up, read ( she is going through a Steinbeck phase right now), and paint. She also works at the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago and loves being so actively engaged in the community. With her background in Spanish and Latin American Studies, she'd like to work for a similar non-profit to FORA in the context of South American immigration to America.

Ali Khan is a current senior at Loyola University Chicago pursuing a double major in biochemistry and bioinformatics, with double minors in biostatistics and German language studies. Having been a West Ridge native for much of his life, Ali was especially excited to join FORA's cohort as a volunteer tutor in early 2022, as he believed it to be a wonderful way for him to directly give back to the community he considered his home for many years. Being a first-generation student, Ali sympathizes with many students at FORA when it comes to the challenges of adapting to life in America — especially when it comes to learning English and making one's voice heard, both things he seeks to empower and educate students in this summer. He hopes to attend medical school sometime in the near future and work as a physician or physician scientist. When he isn't tutoring, you might catch him working on the intern profile page!