This summer, GCLC welcomed over 20 interns and Fellows who are assisting with a range of our practice areas. Meet 8 of them below.

Isabel Beebe

Hometown: Oak Park, Illinois
3L at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
Alvin H. Baum Family Fund Fellow

Isabel Beebe is a third-year law student at the UIC School of Law and is working at GCLC as an immigration law intern this summer. She is a recipient of the Alvin H. Baum Family Fund Fellowship from UIC, which provides her with the funding to explore public interest opportunities.

Isabel researches immigration laws, assists with immigration status adjustments, and coordinates with other interns to manage case intake.

“This is my first time working in immigration law, and I’ve been really excited to get to work with the variety of clients we have and learn all about it,” she said.

Isabel was an intern at the Innocence Project and has previous experience working in public interest law, but this is her first time working at a legal aid nonprofit.

Fun Fact: Isabel lived in New York for 7 years and worked for City & State New York, a political magazine, before going to law school.

Miriam Berne

Hometown: Evanston, Illinois
3L at the DePaul University College of Law
Public Interest Law Initiative Intern

A recipient of a Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) internship, Miriam Berne is excited to be joining GCLC working under the supervision of GCLC attorney Barry Boykin this summer. She is a rising third-year law student at the DePaul University College of Law and hails from Evanston, Illinois.

Practicing under a 711 License, Miriam counsels, negotiates, and represents clients facing eviction and consumer debt cases as part of the Municipal Court Advice Desk, GCLC’s initiative to help low-income people facing contract complaints.

PILI’s Law School Internship Program promotes public interest law and pro bono services in Illinois through the creation of opportunities for students to work at public interest organizations.

“This area of law is entirely new to me, and I’m looking forward to learning more about eviction and consumer debt and really helping the clients as best as I can,” she said.

Fun Fact: Miriam is the only left-handed person in her family.

Minerva Garcia

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Junior at Harvard College
2024 Mindich Service Fellow

Minerva Garcia, a rising junior at Harvard College, is working with the Clinic’s Immigration Law team this summer. Minerva was born and raised in Belmont Cragin but currently lives in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park. Fluent in Spanish, she assists attorneys with client intake, research, translation projects, and advocating for Spanish-speaking clients. As a community organizer, Minerva is passionate about advocating for the needs of marginalized Black and Latinx communities.

“There are a lot of immigration cases but not enough Spanish-speaking attorneys or people in the office,” she said. “Interning here is a good way to bridge the gap between legal representation and reaching people who need the help most.” As a first-generation, low-income student from a mixed-status household, she understands the critical need for affordable and accessible legal representation for all.

Minerva is one of a few Harvard students who received the 2024 Mindich Service Fellowship, which provides students the opportunity to explore public service for 10 weeks in the summer.

According to Minerva, hearing clients explain how much the Clinic has benefitted their lives and their immigration status is the most rewarding part of her job.

Fun Fact: Minerva has a one-year-old Shih Tzu puppy named Sally.

Elinor Hiller

Hometown: Batavia, Illinois
Senior at Wheaton College

Wheaton College senior Elinor Hiller is a criminal record expungement and sealing intern working under the supervision of GCLC attorney Drew Curle. Elinor researches criminal records, fills out paperwork, calls clients to conduct interviews if they have objections to their petitions, and files requests for evidence.

Elinor also observes court hearings for clients GCLC represents, which is an experience she particularly values at the Clinic because it exposes her to the inner workings of the courtroom.

Moreover, this is Elinor’s first public interest law internship, so she’s excited to utilize her time at GCLC to gain a better understanding of how legal representation works at a legal clinic.

“I’m an undergrad, so I’m looking forward to learning more about the law process,” Elinor said, “and seeing if that’s something I would be interested in pursuing as a career.”

Fun Fact: Elinor has four uncles named Dave.

Queenie Miao

Hometown: Worcester, Massachusetts
2L at the University of Illinois College of Law
Racial Justice Practicum Recipient

Queenie Miao was born in Nanjing, China but grew up in Worchester, Massachusetts. She is currently a rising 2L at the University of Illinois College of Law and a recipient of the Racial Justice Practicum, which supports her experience at Greater Chicago Legal Clinic.

As an extern, Queenie primarily conducts background interviews, in which she speaks with clients about their cases.

“I enjoy calling clients to conduct background interviews,” she said. “They share their current jobs, families, things to do, etc. This helps me get to know them on a personal level.”

As a criminal records expungement intern working under the supervision of GCLC attorney Drew Curle, Queenie hopes to learn about expungement and sealing while becoming better versed in conducting legal research.

Fun Fact: Queenie writes blog articles on animal care, and her favorite animal is the capybara.

Sierra Osowski

Hometown: Mosinee, Wisconsin
3L at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law

Sierra Osowski is a third-year law student at the UIC School of Law working under the supervision of GCLC attorney Drew Curle this summer as a criminal records expungement intern.

Alongside the other expungement interns, Sierra processes expungement cases, observes court proceedings, and conducts interviews with clients.

Sierra has previously worked in the courtroom, but this is her first opportunity to work at a legal aid non-profit that represents clients.

“I worked at the courthouse for a judge last summer, so I was on the opinion-side of decisions,” she said. “Now, I’m on the opposite end, filing and representing clients in front of a judge.”

Fun Fact: Sierra is learning how to speak Polish, and she has a total of 28 aunts and uncles in her family.

William Tan

Hometown: Hinsdale, Illinois
Sophomore at Harvard College
William Tan is a rising sophomore at Harvard College intending to major in Government and Economics. He is a longtime resident of the Chicago area and wants to represent underserved communities in the context of legal and social aid in the future.
At GCLC, William is an intern with the immigration law team and helps file asylum, adjustment, and U-Visa applications for immigrants and refugees. He also engages in legal research for the attorneys and assists with client intake.
“This summer, I’m excited to work with the attorneys to help file asylum applications,” he said. “To represent people and help them gain better status in this country — it’s a really rewarding summer experience.”
Already, William has gained a deeper appreciation for the clients after hearing their stories.
“Many of the clients we help have traveled far distances or have suffered persecution in order to have a chance to settle in this country,” he said.
“It’s a valuable lesson to know how fortunate I am to have citizen status, and I want to assist as many people as I can gain that same status.”
Fun Fact: William is an accomplished cellist simultaneously pursuing a Masters in Cello Performance at the New England Conservatory.

Maggie Williams

Hometown: Frankfort, Illinois
Senior at Wheaton College

Wheaton College senior Maggie Williams is working this summer under the supervision of GCLC attorney Drew Curle as a criminal records intern.

A majority of Maggie’s time at the Clinic is spent studying expungement laws and helping clients GCLC represents. She researches criminal records, conducts interviews, and observes court hearings.

According to Maggie, the most enjoyable aspects of her work include background research and interviewing clients. By fully understanding her clients’ cases, she has gained a deeper appreciation for the work that goes into legal representation.

“I’ve been learning a lot about what goes into representing clients and what the expungement and sealing process is, and I’ve been enjoying talking to clients to gain more context about their cases,” she said. “I’m excited to learn more about what goes into public interest law to see if I want to practice that in the future.”

Fun Fact: Maggie participated in a study-abroad program in Mexico last year.

Meet our Summer 2024 Interns and Volunteers