Youstina is a Political Science Major, and a Global Poverty and Practice Minor from Cairo, Egypt, graduating from Cal in May 2018. She has extensive service experience working on projects related to international human rights, refugee protection, and accountability for atrocities.
During her time at UC Berkeley, she worked closely with ICC investigators and prosecutors, open-source intelligence experts, and international human rights lawyers to verify and utilize open-source intelligence for legal accountability. At the Open-Source Investigations Lab of Human Rights Center, she was a Team Manager and Lead Trainer for 80+ graduates and undergraduates who investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in more than 30 countries including Myanmar, Kenya, and Syria. She spent her second year extensively researching the Daesh-perpetrated Yazidi genocide in Iraq. She led investigations that are utilized by the UNHRC, Amnesty International, and the OPCW and featured on PBS NewsHour, abc7NEWS, and the SF Chronicle. Youstina has also volunteered with Human Rights Watch, Small Projects Istanbul, the Center for Justice and Accountability, and Advocates Abroad.
Youstina is deeply honored and humbled to receive the Muir Leadership Award and eager to continue her work in public service upon graduating from Cal. She is a 2018-19 Gardner Fellow where she hopes to employ her passion for public service as well as her language and investigative skills towards protecting refugees and asylum seekers. After the Gardner Fellowship, Youstina plans on attending law school to study international criminal law and refugee law.