HLS in Focus

Chayes Fellow, rising 2L Mostafa Abdelkarim, reflects on his internship this summer with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Egypt and his experience at HLS so far.

What will you be doing this summer?

This summer, I will be working at the Middle East office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in Cairo, Egypt. Specifically, I will be assessing Right of Information laws in the region and the extent to which transparency has changed over the recent years. Additionally, I will be analyzing the growing reliance of the region’s universities on e-learning applications, as well as the copyright law issues involved. As more classrooms incorporate information technologies into their educational mission, the legal framework that governs their relationship with electronic and digital companies has become increasingly important.

How did you come to select your internship and why?

In 2006, I got the opportunity to study Middle Eastern politics and law at the American University in Cairo. When I completed my coursework there, I knew that one day I would love to work in the region. As someone who studied international relations throughout college and participated in Model United Nations, I knew that working for the actual United Nations would give me the hands-on international experience I lacked during all my years of learning the theory. I specifically sought out UNESCO because I was intrigued to know more about the UN’s role in science – something I knew relatively little about. Ultimately, UNESCO appealed to me because it didn’t line up with my traditional understanding of UN activities.

Can you discuss what sorts of activities you are involved in here at HLS?

An activity I thoroughly enjoyed this past year was the first-year Ames Moot Court program. I loved the balancing act involved in arguing one’s points to a panel of judges while simultaneously trying to answer their questions. Thanks to that experience, I hope to participate in the upper-level Ames Moot Court this fall. In addition to Ames, I am also in the process of joining Harvard Defenders, the student practice group which provides free representation to low-income criminal defendants at show-cause hearings in Massachusetts.

What are your preliminary thoughts on what you might want to do after graduation?

The areas of law which currently interest me are criminal and international. I’m trying to keep an open mind and not rule anything out. Some thoughts I’ve had include working for an international firm or spending a couple years as a public defender in Washington, DC. I also think that clerking would be a great way to get a first-hand look at the system in action. And with my fluency in Arabic and experience in the region, I hope that one day I can serve as a bridge between the West and the Middle East.

What is one thing about HLS that you think everyone should know?

This place is much more down to earth than you can ever imagine. It was honestly the biggest surprise I encountered. For most of my life, I thought that Harvard measured up to the stereotypical image so many of us have. But the fact is, this place has the advantage of being so prestigious while also being laid back beyond belief. When I attended the Admitted Students Weekend, one person I specifically wanted to meet was Professor Elizabeth Warren. I remember mentioning the idea to a fellow admit, who dismissed it as impractical given her busy schedule. As I was leaving campus to return to Washington, I thought I’d take a chance and stop by her office just to check. Her door was slightly cracked and I could hear that she had a conference call. When she glanced over to see me standing there with my bags, she waved me in, smiled, and told me “this will only take a second.” We spent the next half hour talking about HLS and her efforts on Capitol Hill to reform the credit crisis. I couldn’t believe it – here she was getting ready for a Senate hearing in two days, and she was nevertheless making time for an unscheduled, spontaneous meeting with a student not even attending the Law School yet.

What makes HLS so special is that Professor Warren is only one of countless influential figures at the law school eager to engage with students. With professors like these, it wasn’t hard at all to feel right at home.