Three graduates from New York Law School’s Class of 2026 are advancing their commitment to social justice beyond the classroom through fellowships focused on immigration, LGBTQ+, and disability rights.
Chloe Adasa ’26, Wilf Postgraduate Public Interest Fellow with Disability Rights New York
Adasa is one of two graduates who will serve as a Postgraduate Fellow for the Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest at NYLS. She will commence her fellowship this fall with Disability Rights New York (DRNY), where she will assist with systemic reform efforts within the criminal justice system to help advance the legal rights of people with disabilities. The fellowship marks Adasa’s third time working with DRNY, following two previous summers she spent there as a legal intern.
Reflecting on the fellowship, Adasa wrote, “I began law school with so much dedication to becoming a civil rights attorney, and I’m very proud to be graduating with a stronger conviction and a step closer to becoming one.” She gave a special shout-out to her ‘eternal supervisor’, Ivana Berlin ’22, a Staff Attorney at DRNY. Berlin began her service with the organization as a Wilf Fellow in September 2022.
While studying at NYLS, Adasa was an active member of the Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic, Family Law Quarterly, the Harris Keenan & Goldfarb Advocacy Program, the Dean’s Leadership Council, and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA). Upon graduating, she received the Chief Justice Rose E. Bird Award for Motivation in Pursuing Public Interest and the Dean’s Award for Student Leadership.
Daniella Herrera ’26, Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow
Herrera has accepted an Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) Fellowship at Organización Latino Americana (OLA) of Eastern Long Island. She will serve for two years as a staff attorney, working alongside legal advocates and community leaders to provide immigration legal services to families in Eastern Long Island.
In a LinkedIn post, Herrera described the fellowship as representing “the intersection of my passion for immigrant rights, community advocacy, and direct legal support.” She also expressed gratitude to her mentors, Professors Lenni B. Benson and Claire R. Thomas ’11, as well as her clinic partner, Celine Samaha ’26, a dedicated immigrant advocate.
As a NYLS student, Herrera served as President of the Immigration Law Students Association and participated in both the Asylum Clinic and the Immigration Law and Litigation Clinic. Beyond the Law School, she interned at Catholic Charities Community Services, supporting unaccompanied immigrant children, and at Safe Passage Project, where she helped provide free legal services to refugee and immigrant children in the New York City area. At NYLS’s 134th Commencement Exercises, Herrera received the Dean’s Leadership Award.
Rhiannon Wright ’26, Wilf Postgraduate Public Interest Fellow with FreeState Justice
Through the fellowship, Wright will spend her first year of legal practice at FreeState Justice, Maryland’s leading legal nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ residents. Wright brings extensive experience in LGBTQ+ advocacy. She previously interned with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)’s LGBTQ & HIV Project and the Legal Aid Society’s LGBTQ+ Law and Policy Unit, while also participating in NYLS’s Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic.
Wright also served as a Teaching Fellow for the Academic Success Program, a Staff Editor for the New York Law School Law Review, a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council, and Vice President of OutLaws, a student organization that supports the Law School’s LGBTQIA+ community.
At Commencement, Wright received the Alexander D. Forger Award for Distinguished Service to the Profession, the Dean’s Award for Student Leadership, and, notably, the Kathleen Grimm Medal for Distinguished Public Service.