Human Rights, Activism and Community Action Workshop

In January of 2025, the University of Oregon and Oxford Consortium of Human Rights supported the following cohort of students to attend the Human Rights, Activism and Community Action Workshop in Sonoma, CA. This workshop builds on past seminars that feature both eminent scholars and local activists to engage students in conversations and skill-building around the theory and practice of community action. As with all of OCHR workshops, participants will hear from scholars from Oxford and elsewhere, will be involved in discussions and work groups, and will also learn from local activists and changemakers. Week of January 16th: 
Human Rights, Activism and Community Action (Sonoma, CA)
Application Timeline: 
Opens October 1st and closes November 1st.

Apply for Sonoma Workshop

Alexis Hale '28 Political Science 

Alexis Hale is a Sophomore at the University of Oregon. She is studying political science with a triple minor in legal studies, criminology, and writing, public speaking, critical reasoning. She is passionate about equal rights and humanitarian work. Alexis is an aspiring civil rights lawyer and hopes to attend law school after completing her bachelor's degree. She is a member of the university's mock trial team and was recently initiated into the inaugural class of Kappa Alpha Pi.  

Sarah Shewaye '26 Political Science

Sarah Shewaye is a senior in the Clark Honors College majoring in Political Science with a Global Studies minor. As the daughter of a Ukrainian refugee and an Ethiopian immigrant, she brings a personal and academic commitment to refugee and migrant rights, which she centers in her Honors thesis on European responses to Ukrainian displacement. She has studied abroad in London, Italy, and Latvia—the latter through the Critical Language Scholarship for Russian—and has been recognized with the university’s Seal of Global Engagement for her extensive international work. On campus, Sarah serves as a Global Programs and Operations Assistant for Global Education Oregon and is a student leader in the Good Fight Christian Ministry. Her long-term goal is to become an international lawyer focused on human rights and migration policy.

Harini Sachidhanand '26 Data Science

Harini Sachidhanand is a senior in the Clark Honors College studying Data Science with minors in Global Health and Biology. Growing up between the U.S. and India shaped her understanding of how cultural and language barriers affect access to care, drawing her to equity-driven community health initiatives. Her experiences span both global and local settings. In Accra, Ghana, she created and taught a health curriculum at a local primary school and helped lead a menstrual hygiene initiative for girls and women. Back in Oregon, Harini served as a Behavioral Health Quality Management Intern with Multnomah County, where she helped revise behavioral health policies and supported compliance reviews to improve cultural competence and accessibility. She also develops reentry-focused health guides with Sponsors to support individuals returning from incarceration and analyzes transportation equity data for Lane County to inform public health efforts that make active commuting safer and more accessible for students. On campus, Harini serves on the executive board of Students for Global Health, helping lead education, advocacy, and community partnerships grounded in health equity. Across these experiences, she has seen how closely human rights and health are connected—insights that continue to shape her goals. Harini hopes to pursue a career in global health grounded in equity and culturally responsive systems of care.  

Iris Wolfe '26 Global Studies

Iris studies Global Studies, International Business, and Japanese. She first became interested in human rights after witnessing inequality in Oregon and recognizing how systemic barriers restrict people’s access to basic resources. At the University of Oregon, she contributed to a faculty-led research project on homelessness policy, mapping the legal frameworks that govern where unhoused individuals are allowed to sleep in public space. Speaking directly with people affected by these policies strengthened her commitment to issues of rights, agency, and access. Her advocacy deepened during her year-long exchange in Tokyo. As a programming officer for the NGO Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, Iris helped organize a national conference that brought together youth from across Japan to learn about policymaking and climate justice. She supported recruitment, facilitated workshops, and helped participants draft a policy statement expressing their collective vision for the future of global climate action. This document was incorporated into the Global Youth Statement presented at COP30, the United Nations Climate Change Conference. During the same period, Iris led an international team in the CIEE–UNHCR Student Challenge, designing a micro-credential apprenticeship model to expand educational and career opportunities for refugee girls in Uganda. Across her research, organizing, and cross-cultural work, she remains guided by the belief that human rights are not automatic—they must be secured through thoughtful policy, community leadership, and the amplification of marginalized voices. Looking ahead, Iris hopes to deepen her understanding of how private-sector innovation and investment can support human rights efforts as federal funding becomes increasingly limited. 

See Prior Recipient Profiles