Honors Intern Scholarship Program 2026 Recipients

Celeste Baro is a second-year law student at University of Colorado Law School. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in international business from the University of Florida, Celeste devoted time to public service, including an internship with the Environmental Justice Clinic in Miami. During her first year of law school, she volunteered with the Center for Biological Diversity while managing a rigorous curriculum. She was subsequently awarded the prestigious Harrison Fellowship in International Law by Colorado Law, which supported her work last summer with the Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative in Jakarta, where she authored a report on illegal fishing and its intersections with human rights violations and ecological harm. For this summer, Celeste has accepted an internship with the Natural Resources and Environment Section of the Colorado Department of Law. 

Caitlyn Brekke is a second-year law student at UC Davis School of Law. Her professional path includes work as an elementary school teacher in Oklahoma City and later with the California Attorney General’s Office in the Public Rights Division.  At UC Davis, Caitlyn has developed a strong focus in environmental law, serving as a Senior Article Editor for the Environmental Law and Policy Journal, Co-Chair of the Environmental Law Society, and an accomplished research assistant for ACOEL Fellow Rick Frank, for whom she prepares briefs on pending and recently decided cases on environmental issues. Caitlyn’s internship with the California Coastal Commission last summer reinforced her interest in public sector environmental work, and she has accepted a 2026 summer internship position with the California Attorney General’s Office in the Public Rights Division, Environmental Justice and Protection Section and Natural Resources Law Section.

Nour Elkassabany is a second-year law student at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she is actively involved in environmental and public interest activities, including the Environmental Law Society and the National Lawyers Guild. Prior to law school, Nour worked as a Senior Compliance Analyst at Vanguard. Following a successful first year at Temple Law, she was awarded the prestigious Environmental, Energy, and Climate Justice Fellowship, which supports her work with ACOEL Fellow Amy Sinden and others to strengthen the environmental law program at Temple Law. Nour currently serves as an intern with the Clean Air Council in Philadelphia and has accepted an internship with the Garden Justice Legal Initiative for summer 2026.  Housed within the Environmental Justice Clinic at the Public Interest Law Center in Philadelphia, the program provides pro bono legal services to urban gardeners and farmers and conducts policy research on Philadelphia’s open-space policies.

Gabriella (Gabby) McGann is a second-year law student at the University of Washington Law School. Before enrolling in law school, Gabby was an Officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officers Corps, collecting data to support habitat protection and improved coastal resiliency. At Washington Law, she currently serves as a Legal Writing Fellow, an editor of the Washington Law Review, and a 2L representative for the Environmental Law Society. Gabby interned last summer with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where she researched legislative history for NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard and monitored litigation relevant to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime and Fisheries.  Gabby has accepted an internship with the Clean Air Task Force in Seattle, advising on agency rulemaking, developing policy advocacy strategy, and assisting in climate change litigation.

Ayisha Siddiqa is a second-year law student at UCLA Law, where she serves as a David J. Epstein Fellow for Public Interest Law and Policy, the President of the International Human Rights Association, and Social Chair of the Public Interest Student Organization.  Before law school, Ayisha served as a Climate Advisor on Youth for the United Nations Secretary-General and founded the Future Generations Tribunal, a climate advocacy group dedicating to advancing legal recognition for future generations. In 2023, Time Magazine recognized Ayisha as one if its 12 “Women of the Year” for her role as a human rights defender and climate activist. She spent last summer serving as a legal intern for Blue Ocean Law in Guam, where she supported Pacific Island states preparing for litigation in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.  For 2026, Ayisha has accepted an internship with the Center for International Environmental Law in Washington, D.C.