Staff


Wendy Lower

Wendy Lower, Director

Professor Wendy Lower is the John K. Roth Professor of History and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College. She is the author of Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields, a 2013 finalist for the National Book Award. A few of her other books are The Diary of Samuel Golfard and the Holocaust in Eastern Galicia, Lanham MD: Altamira/Rowman and Littlefield and USHMM, 2011, The Shoah in Ukraine: History, Testimony, Memorialization, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2008 (co-edited with Ray Brandon) and Nazi Empire-Building and the Holocaust in Ukraine, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press and USHMM, 2005 (paperback, 2007, audio version 2010).


Kirsti Zitar

Kirsti Zitar, Assistant Director

Kirsti graduated from CMC in 1997 with a dual degree in Human Biology and Anthropology. Following graduation, Kirsti worked in the biotech industry in Seattle before returning to Claremont in 2000 to join the inaugural class at Keck Graduate Institute. She finished her MBS degree in 2002 and joined a local start-up biotech company where she worked in business development, marketing, product development, and human relations. In 2009, Kirsti returned to her alma mater to work with the Berger Institute for Work, Family, and Children and transitioned to the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights in 2011.


Geraldine Han

Geraldine Han, Administrative Assistant

Prior to arriving at Claremont McKenna College, Geraldine worked in the modeling industry as well as with an auto company assisting with day-to-day business operations in budgeting and bookkeeping.  Her work experience as an analyst and contract administrator in the civil engineering and financial services industries helped her to better enhance quality assurance projects, improve accuracy of program scope, timelines, and increase productivity with measurable outcomes.  As a former pageant contender and title holder in Southern California Counties, Geraldine has also spent several years in the industry as a Pageant Director involved with business development in the San Diego area.  Geraldine earned her Bachelor of Science degree at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and is a California Notary Public. 


Student Assistants

Hannah Abouchar

Hannah Abouchar ’21

Having grown up in Puerto Rico and Arizona with Argentine parents, Hannah’s diverse upbringing fostered a desire to engage in the international community. She is pursuing a major in International Relations with hopes of battling human rights violations worldwide. Her interests lie on social injustices throughout the Middle East and Latin America, both regions where her family is from. 


Chris Agard

Chris Agard ’21

Chris is a sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia studying International Relations. He serves as co-president of the CMC Black Student Alliance (BSA) where he works to build a strong and safe community for black students on campus. Chris’s interest in human rights has stemmed from his lifelong interest in civic engagement and his Haitian-American heritage. Thus, he is interested in the protections of human rights domestically and worldwide. Chris believes that politics play a large role in these protections and enjoys staying informed on current events through print journalism. He aspires to attend law school after graduating from college.


Laleh Ahmad

Laleh Ahmad ’20

Laleh is a junior from Karachi, Pakistan who’s planning to major in History. Laleh also works as a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Board, a First Year Guide and an Outdoor Initiative leader. She’s interested in German history and is trying to learn the language after travelling through Germany this summer and freaking out over historical sites. In her free time, you can find her mourning the (disappointing) end of the Rick and Morty season and laughing at horrible jokes.


Will Carter

William Carter ’21

Will is a sophomore from Oak Park, California, majoring in Philosophy and Public Affairs with a Computer Science Sequence. Will is a CMC tour guide and the CMC garden manager. His main interests within the field of human rights include LGBTQ+ protection and sustainability. Will spent this summer working on multiple sustainable and organic farms in Italy. He seeks to make CMC a more inclusive and environmentally aware space.

 


Shreya Chatterjee

Shreya Chatterjee ’22

Shreya is a freshman from Irvine, California, planning to major in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics or International Relations. She is on the CMS women’s golf team which is ranked #1 in the nation, a member of the CMC Mock Trial team and on the student engagement committee of ASCMC. Shreya intends to eventually study law and is deeply interested in topics like social justice and human rights. Although a California native, Shreya has traveled to many parts of the world including several trips to India to visit her grandparents which made her appreciate the impact of education for underprivileged children, a topic she plans to explore further at CMC.


Jennifer Collao

Jennifer Collao ’21

Jennifer (Jen) is a sophomore from Lima, Peru, currently living in New York City, planning to major in International Relations with a dual in Film Studies. Jennifer is the president of Amnesty International, head mentor for Questbridge CMC Chapter and a member of ASCMC Diversity and Inclusion Board. Her interest in human rights stems from her own personal experiences with immigration and further exploring international law. During the summer of her freshman year, as an Appel Fellow, she created a podcast series centered around Latinx families who have been separated by economic forces, living in Peru, Argentina and the United States. Jen is hoping to take what she's learned from her summer experience to conduct research and raise awareness regarding violence against women in Peru.


Tallan Donine

Tallan Donine ’21

Tallan is a sophomore from Temecula, California, planning to major in International Relations. Her involvement with the Mgrublian Center began her freshman year when she joined the Amnesty International task force which she continues to support this year. She spent the summer interning at Accountability Counsel and is currently a Research Assistant at the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies as well as the Chair of the ASCMC Environmental Affairs Committee. She is particularly interested in the need for corporate and government accountability reform as it pertains to human rights and environmental rights in international development. As a Student Assistant, Tallan hopes to contribute to projects exploring this specific field and learn more about the breadth of human rights issues affecting communities around the world.


Diana Hernandez

Diana Hernandez ’21

Diana is a sophomore from Downtown LA, pursuing a dual major in Government with a concentration in public policy, and Media Studies. In the summer of 2018, she became an OFA (Organizing for Action) Fellow and launched a campaign that informed both undocumented and documented individuals about their rights during ICE raids, and about the laws and principles that protect them. She is also very interested in reforming the prison-industrial complex, and uses her voice as a platform to raise awareness and lead initiatives that fight for the human rights issues that are often thrown under the rug. Currently, she works as a Legal Research Assistant at the center.

 


Jaelin Kinney

Jaelin Kinney ’21

 


Malea Martin

Malea Martin ’19

Malea Martin is a senior at Claremont McKenna College studying Literature and Government with a sequence in Human Rights Studies. She has been involved with the Mgrublian Center since freshman year as an active member and president of CMC's Amnesty International chapter, one of the Center's task forces. Today Malea works as a Legal Research Assistant for the Center. Malea hopes to pursue a career in journalism, or perhaps law-- either way, she hopes that human rights work is always a part of her life.


Mohamad Moslimani

Mohamad Moslimani ’21

Mohamad is a sophomore from New York City, planning to Majoring in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a Sequence in Data Science. His interest in human rights is maintained by his belief in a set of universal human rights for all, and the necessity to actualize those rights by the conscious efforts of educated communities. Mohamad seeks to learn more about international and domestic efforts and policies to define the rights of the world's citizens. He is considering law school and the study of International Law as a future prospect.


Henry Schulz

Henry Schulz ’22

Henry Schulz is a freshman from Manhattan, New York planning to major in Philosophy and Public Affairs. As a Research Assistant with the Center, he is interested in the philosophical side of human rights, specifically about genocide and how mass atrocities can be prevented. His love for philosophy came from his grandparents who established the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas in Tel Aviv, Israel. The institute's goal is to bring together Jewish and Palestinian intellectuals to both create peace and exchange ideas about the world. He hopes to pursue a career in law or journalism.


Rebecca Shane

Rebecca Shane ’19

Becky Shane is a senior studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and History with a Human Rights Sequence. She has been involved with the Mgrublian Center since her freshman year and has been afforded the incredible opportunity to work on a variety of engaging and effective projects. She has also had numerous internships through the Center focusing on how to effectively expose human rights abuses and how to advocate for better policies internationally. She hopes to continue her work in advocacy after graduation.