Meet Osborne's Summer Interns

Every summer, Osborne welcomes students who bring fresh perspectives and deep interest in advancing justice in our criminal legal system. Through hands-on projects, our interns contribute to our work while gaining firsthand experience supporting people impacted by the criminal legal system.
 

This summer, our interns worked alongside staff in our Court Advocacy Services, Osborne Center for Justice Across Generations, and Data and Evaluation teams. Whether shadowing court proceedings, meeting with families, analyzing data, or supporting older adults transitioning back into the community, each intern gained a deeper understanding of the realities people face after incarceration.
 

Here are some reflections on their experiences and what they’ll carry forward. Osborne greatly appreciates their valuable contributions. 

Abby Fowler
Pace University
Criminal Justice, Pre-Law, and Political Science
 

What are you working on this summer?
This summer I have been working with the Court Advocacy Services team doing classic mitigation. My summer has included a lot of shadowing (which I love), lots of court dates, and working with two of my own clients!
 

What’s one thing you’ve learned that has stuck with you?
To work in this field you have to be dedicated, passionate, and put your all into everything. This internship has taught me so much about the kind of person I want to be. And that even when it’s hard, this work is worth it!
 

What’s been your favorite part of the internship?
The people! I love working with the CAS team and Osborne. Everyone is so smart, welcoming and helpful. There have also been so many great interactions with clients, being able to hear people’s stories has been an incredible gift!

Hunter Robbins
Yale University 
Psychology and Black Studies
 

What are you working on this summer?
I am researching the physical and mental health outcomes for families who have an incarcerated relative. The end goal is to create an impact brief that summarizes these results and includes personal testimonies from Osborne participants and staff, which can ultimately be used to advocate for policy change.
 

What’s been your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite part of this internship has been interacting with Osborne participants directly, both formerly incarcerated individuals and their family members. I have enjoyed hearing about their experiences and engaging in conversations with them throughout the summer!
 

How has this experience helped shape your career goals?
This experience has given me a combination of behind-the-scenes research and interview experience along with in-person interpersonal interactions with populations that I am interested in working with in the future. The experience has contributed to strengthening my passion for working to reform the criminal justice system.

David Torres
Cornell University
Chemistry and Government
 

What’s one thing you’ve learned that has stuck with you?
One thing I have learned this summer is to read what isn’t there. I have been to tons of hearings where board members will ask leaders to share with them what they missed in the report to get a full picture of what is going on. Additionally, I have read through reports and have pointed out and worked with many Osborne associates about what information we need to get from the government in order to deliver full justice.
 

How has this experience helped shape your career goals?
During this summer, I have learned so much about the justice system and how much of a role it plays in public health, an area I am very passionate about. Initially, I always wanted to approach public health through a medicine lens, but hearing about the stories from incarcerated individuals and attending meetings from the correctional departments and reading vast reports has shown me a new approach to understand how many different ways public health is affected.
 

This internship has helped me understand how law has so much of an impact on every individual. Meeting impacted people is most certainly different from sitting in a classroom and reading about reactions to government systems. I have been able to see how policy, leaders, and departments have severely impacted the mindset and health of all those involved, and much needs to be changed.

Kaya Chase-Kohn
University of Colorado-Boulder
Political Science and Business
 

What are you working on this summer?
This summer at Osborne my main focus has been on visiting rights. Specifically, I assisted on a project researching jails’ compliance with visiting law and reviewing data for both Rikers and child visitating to see why people are being rejected from visiting their loved ones. I interviewed individuals going to Rikers about the visiting process and also helped out the Loved Ones Link program by responding to calls from people who wish to use the free bus or who have questions about it.
 

What’s one thing you’ve learned that has stuck with you?
One thing I have learned this summer is how important community is for doing social justice work. Many of the Osborne employees I met told me that advocacy work isn’t easy, and shared how important it is to lean on one another. I saw that every day I worked at Osborne, both within the organization and in the way Osborne is connected with the broader social justice community in NYC.

One example that stuck out to me is when Mayor Mamdani was trying to add 580 new police officers into the city budget. Osborne signed a letter with many other organizations urging him not to add the officers, and my amazing bosses took me to a well-attended rally to protest the addition. Due to these efforts, funds for these officers were not added into the budget. This was moving to me because it made me see that when people band together, their voices will be heard, and how working as a community is an effective way to make change.
 

What’s been your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite part of this summer internship has been getting to go to rallies and feel connected to a community of people who want to make positive societal change. This, along with forming relationships with both Osborne staff (especially my two supervisors Tanya and Jessica, who made me feel so supported) and people impacted by the criminal legal system has been a really meaningful and amazing part of my summer.