2025 Fraser Fellows Keep the Passion for Human Rights Alive

Each summer for the last seven years, students have been given the opportunity to acquire valuable real life experience with human rights organizations through the Don and Arvonne Fraser Fellowships. The fellowships are named in honor of Don and Arvonne Fraser, two advocates who dedicated their lives toward improving human rights and women’s rights abroad and at home. This year, Libby Nemitz (CLA ‘26) and Dante Rocío (CLA ‘26) worked on human rights initiatives with The Advocates for Human Rights.

The Stories We Tell and the Humanity We Share

Libby Nemitz is a senior double majoring in global studies with a concentration in human rights and Asian & Middle Eastern studies with a concentration in East Asia, as well as minoring in political science. Libby’s motivation to apply for the Don Fraser Fellowship came from her personal experience at the Human Rights Program. As a student program and communications assistant, Libby had the opportunity to interview past Fraser Fellows and listen to firsthand accounts of their experiences. The work the Fraser Fellows do and the positive impact they have on both local and international communities is ultimately what inspired Libby to apply.  

This year, Libby dedicated her summer to interning for The Advocates for Human Rights under the International Justice Program (IJP), which addresses human rights violations in relation to the death penalty and LGBTQ+ rights. Her primary task for the IJP was to research countries that were up for review from the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review, a process for UN Member States to undergo a peer review of their human rights records. The States undergoing review receive recommendations from other UN Member States and human rights organizations on continuous improvement. During her internship, Libby helped write some of the reports that were sent to diplomatic delegations that could then advocate for certain recommendations. “[This experience] opened my mind of what it would be like to be this person who has to deal with being in the criminal justice system, having the threat of the death penalty looming over their heads,” Libby said.

It is this opportunity to connect with others’ stories and experiences that inspires Libby to pursue human rights work. “Human rights is a way of looking at the world and understanding yourself,” Libby says. “Hearing about people’s different stories, you can resonate with that because everyone’s human and everyone has a shared humanity. So even though I don’t have their own experience, because of the shared humanity between us, I can empathize with them.” 

The skills that Libby acquired during her internship will be incredibly valuable as she decides her next steps. “The people at my internship gave me solid career advice like what kind of degree I should go for [to work in this field],” she says. “The skills [I learned] really are important, and you constantly have to improve. So a lot of the writing I did will help me.” 

To Have What You Need to Live and Grow

Dante Rocío is a senior pursuing an individualized degree in linguistics, philosophy, and global studies. Dante plans to pursue a career in psycho-linguistics, social linguistics, and advocating for migrant and refugee rights. Hailing from a migrant background himself, Dante understands what it’s like to be excluded from certain spaces because of his identity, which is why he applied to the Arvonne Fraser Fellowship. He wanted to be more involved in advancing the rights of those in marginalized communities. 

During the summer, Dante also interned at The Advocates for Human Rights for the International Justice Program (IJP). Throughout his internship, he helped investigate case studies of how people engage with the United Nations. His primary tasks were to assist with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and provide background research on case studies that The Advocates could find beneficial. One particular case study dealt with the European Union Committee on violence against women. Dante helped summarize the evaluation report the committee conducted on the country of Georgia in 2022.“It was generally interesting for me to see how people can actually engage in the UN’s mechanisms of advocacy and see which ones are working,” Dante said.

Dante describes human rights as the guarantee for everyone to have the resources they need for sustenance and development, as well as being able to live a life of peace and security. He’s committed to human rights, especially through linguistics, because, “If I want to study language, I want it to be something that can be used for the problems and needs we have as people, so that it can help ensure that people have the support for their human rights: Daily access to a safe, happy, and healthy, life—no matter the backgrounds that come from their identities.”

After graduation, Dante plans to gain more experience working in the field before going to graduate school to further his linguistics knowledge. Wherever the future takes him, Dante will stay committed to human rights. “Human rights—talking about them and establishing systems that protect them—just let people simply exist in the first place,” he says. “[They] create societies, community, and culture in a way that actually helps life to continue—literally.” 

A Legacy of Human Rights

Through their work this summer, Libby and Dante continued the human rights work reflected in the legacies of Don and Arvonne Fraser. The Human Rights program recognizes and congratulates the students for their hard work as Fraser Fellows. We are excited to see the ways that Libby and Dante will continue to make their communities a better place. 

The Human Rights Program is grateful for the support of our donors in making the Fellowships possible. By donating to the Fraser Fellowships, you make a double investment—supporting the next generation of human rights leaders and supporting a local human rights organization. Through the Fraser Fellowships, you help to ensure that the Frasers’ human rights legacy lives on.