Students & Alumni

Since 1981, the Post-Conviction Justice Project (PCJP) has trained hundreds of law students to stand for justice and contribute to legislation that is transforming our legal landscape.

Under the direction of PCJP Director Heidi Rummel and Co-Founder Michael Brennan at the USC Gould School of Law, the Project has advocated for thousands of clients at parole hearings, on habeas corpus in state and federal courts, at resentencing hearings, and in prison workshops.

The Project hires six supervising students each summer and enrolls ten additional students in the fall for the academic year. In addition to developing critical lawyering proficiencies through hands-on experience, students examine and discuss broader criminal justice issues.

Meet the Students

2022 – 2023 Students

Claire Hagan

Claire hails from Cary, North Carolina and studied journalism at UNC Chapel Hill before moving to Los Angeles for law school. She worked in government and politics before law school and joined PCJP to try to make a difference one case at a time. Fun fact: Claire likes to paint and (shameless plug) sometimes does pet portraits.

Laura Wang

Laura Wang is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and attended the University of Iowa, where she majored in English and Chinese. After graduating, she received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Taiwan and then moved to Portland, Maine to work at a study abroad non-profit. She is now pursuing a career in law to expand access to justice and advocate for indigent clients. She is humbled to work for PCJP and help clients regain their freedom. Fun fact: She has lived through a major flood, earthquake, and derecho.

Kathleen Moore

Originally from Sacramento, CA, Kathleen graduated from USC Marshall School of Business in 2018 and is happy to be back at Gould getting her J.D. She joined PCJP because she believes in second chances and anti-carceral work. Fun fact: Kathleen has a 2017 Rose Bowl ring with her name on it from when she worked with the USC Football team in college. It’s so large it goes past her knuckle and is very hard to wear. Fight on!

Nicole You

Nicole grew up in a small town in northwest Connecticut and graduated from The University of Chicago with a major in Political Science. She joined PCJP this summer because she wanted to use her legal training to help others and hopefully make a meaningful impact on someone’s life. Fun fact: Nicole was stuck in Nicaragua for two months at the beginning of the pandemic (March 2020 to May 2020)!

Jaana Singh

Jaana grew up on a “fish-shaped island” off the coast of Manhattan. While attending Bowdoin College, she traveled once a week to Portland, Maine to volunteer at a legal clinic that provided free legal assistance to low-income Mainers with civil legal problems. She joined PCJP because she believes in second chances, forgiveness, and mercy. Fun fact: Jaana loves Harry Styles and was the #1 fruit ninja player in the world in 2018!

Sophia Sahagún Advanced/3L

Sophia is a second-year law student from Santa Ana who received her B.A. in Philosophy from UCLA. Prior to law school, Sophia interned at the LA County Department of Public Health, where she conducted research on adverse health outcomes and disparate impact to low-income communities of color. Sophia joined PCJP to help deserving clients earn their freedom.

Sharifa Hurt Advanced/3L

Sharifa Hurt is a second-year law student from Los Angeles, who received her bachelor of arts from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to law school, Sharifa briefly worked in the travel industry as a travel specialist for a luxury cruise line. Sharifa is passionate about criminal justice reform and joined PCJP to represent deserving clients working toward their release from prison.

Madeline Stefani Advanced/3L

Madeline Stefani is a third-year law student from Los Angeles, California who received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara. Madeline returns to the clinic for a second year because she believes in abolition and rehabilitation. She is fervently committed to utilizing her access to legal education to assist those who need, but cannot afford, legal representation. Fun facts: Madeline is a trained opera singer; she has not one, but two Lord of the Rings tattoos.


Angela Chuang Advanced/3L

Angela is from Orange County, California and went to USC for undergrad, where she studied Political Science.  She joined the clinic for her 1L summer to advocate for second chances and has remained a part of the clinic since because she has truly loved working with the clinic’s clients and the wonderful team that makes PCJP what it is today.  A fun fact about Angela is that the day before her very first day with PCJP, she got a puppy named Asami!

Rohan Garg Advanced/3L

Rohan Garg is a second-year law student from Southern California who received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at San Diego where he was a member of the mock trial team and international affairs journal. Rohan is passionate about criminal justice and joined PCJP to work with clients toward their freedom.

Ciara Hockey Advanced/3L

Ciara Hockey is a second-year law student from Virginia who received her bachelor’s degree in English and Philosophy from Georgetown University. During her first year of law school, Ciara worked in re-entry services and immigration. Ciara joined PCJP because she fiercely believes in the power of hope and second chances. She joined PCJP to advocate for second chances for her clients.


Kosha Patel Advanced/3L

Kosha Patel is a second-year law student who grew up in Southern California. She received her bachelor of arts from the University of California at San Diego where she studied International Studies and Political Science and volunteered with AmeriCorps. Kosha is passionate about prison reform and increasing access to justice, and joined PCJP to make a difference in the lives of deserving clients. 

Brianna Khong Advanced/3L

Brianna Khong is a second-year law student who received her bachelor of science in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University. Brianna’s long-time passion for social justice drew her to PCJP. She believes the criminal system needs more people who protect individual dignity and foster compassion, and she enjoys connecting with and learning from clients this year.

 

Summer 2022 Students
Claire Hagan

Claire hails from Cary, North Carolina and studied journalism at UNC Chapel Hill before moving to Los Angeles for law school. She worked in government and politics before law school and joined PCJP to try to make a difference one case at a time. Fun fact: Claire likes to paint and (shameless plug) sometimes does pet portraits.

Laura Wang

Laura Wang is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and attended the University of Iowa, where she majored in English and Chinese. After graduating, she received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Taiwan and then moved to Portland, Maine to work at a study abroad non-profit. She is now pursuing a career in law to expand access to justice and advocate for indigent clients. She is humbled to work for PCJP and help clients regain their freedom. Fun fact: She has lived through a major flood, earthquake, and derecho.

Kathleen Moore

Originally from Sacramento, CA, Kathleen graduated from USC Marshall School of Business in 2018 and is happy to be back at Gould getting her J.D. She joined PCJP because she believes in second chances and anti-carceral work. Fun fact: Kathleen has a 2017 Rose Bowl ring with her name on it from when she worked with the USC Football team in college. It’s so large it goes past her knuckle and is very hard to wear. Fight on!

Nicole You

Nicole grew up in a small town in northwest Connecticut and graduated from The University of Chicago with a major in Political Science. She joined PCJP this summer because she wanted to use her legal training to help others and hopefully make a meaningful impact on someone’s life. Fun fact: Nicole was stuck in Nicaragua for two months at the beginning of the pandemic (March 2020 to May 2020)!

Jaana Singh

Jaana grew up on a “fish-shaped island” off the coast of Manhattan. While attending Bowdoin College, she traveled once a week to Portland, Maine to volunteer at a legal clinic that provided free legal assistance to low-income Mainers with civil legal problems. She joined PCJP because she believes in second chances, forgiveness, and mercy. Fun fact: Jaana loves Harry Styles and was the #1 fruit ninja player in the world in 2018!

Get Involved

If you are a USC Gould student, learn how to apply to PCJP. You may also follow us on social media:

Alumni Testimonials

Alexander Kirkpatrick, JD 2017

The heart of PCJP are the clients. The program teaches you how bridge empathy into legal results. The clinic’s focus on dignifying the stories of the guilty and wrongly-incarcerated through compassionate mitigation and tireless representation shifts the narrative beyond a focus on legal innocence. The result is a clinic that teaches students to not only witness the brokenness of their client’s lives, but to convey their client’s stories effectively because they learn to see the brokenness within themselves. This bridge to empathy is taught by PCJP’s primary instrument: the client visit and interview in state prison. PCJP brings proximity to the unseen truths underlying our client’s convictions. We have the privilege to bring their story to light and dignify that brokenness by making their freedom a legal reality. As students, we find at the end of this clinical experience that the clients had this power and freedom within themselves all along. We are left with the conviction within ourselves that as lawyers we have the unique privilege to usher this truth and light forward throughout our careers.

Laura Donaldson, JD 2015

Being a part of PCJP was the best decision I made in law school. It gave me the opportunity to get hands-on experience working with clients — experience I couldn’t have gotten from any single class. In the process, I made life-long friends and grew into a more compassionate and understanding person and attorney. Pictured: Mary Virginia Jones, right, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court to plead no contest to voluntary manslaughter with Laura Donaldson, middle, a USC certified law student and attorney Heidi L. Rummel, left, a director in USC’s Post- Conviction Justice Project on March 24, 2014.

Tracy Dressner, JD 1990

The Post Conviction Justice Project was not only an integral part of my law school experience, but it has defined my career. I was a PCJP groupie. I worked as a student supervisor for PCJP during the summer after my first year and then participated in PCJP for all of my second and third year. As a result of my PCJP experience, I was hired as one of the first death penalty law clerks for the federal district court. Since then, I have spent the past 24 years working as a sole practitioner doing appellate/post-conviction work similar to what I did in PCJP. I like to joke (although it’s true) that I won my first Ninth Circuit case as a PCJP student and then took over 10 years to replicate that feat. In all honesty, I owe all of my best attorney attributes to the stellar mentoring I received participating in PCJP. Pictured: Client Leif Taylor and his post-conviction attorney Tracy Dressner.

Donald Hammond, JD 2009

PCJP armed me with usable skills and experience in a niche practice area that became the foundation of law practice. I am ever grateful for the experience and the opportunity to represent real clients and make a difference, so early in my career.

Maggie Mendez, JD 2019

I worked as a certified student intern with PCJP for my 2L and 3L years. I worked on the cases of three female clients who were incarcerated at a women’s prison in California. I met with each client numerous times and prepared each of them for their upcoming parole hearings. I represented one client at her parole hearing where she was granted parole. I was also able to travel to different men’s prisons throughout California to provide incarcerated men with information about the parole process. Being a part of PCJP during law school was such an invaluable experience. I learned how to conduct client interviews, advocate on behalf of clients in both written and oral arguments, and develop the skills necessary to become an effective lawyer. Pictured: Maggie Mendez providing legal advice to juvenile life without parole inmate during prison workshop.”

Tiffany Nocon, JD 2014

PCJP showed me how to fight. I’m an assistant federal public defender handling everything from DUIs to triple homicides. PCJP gave me the foundation I needed to connect with clients, learn their priorities, and advocate accordingly. Every student should consider applying for this clinic!

Joanna Hill, JD 2014

PCJP taught me how to be an effective advocate for my client…how to ask the hard questions, and how valuable it is to work with people who are smarter than you 🙂 PCJP reminded me why I went to law school and why this work is so critically important to creating a more just legal system.

Peraya Siriwong, JD 2019

PCJP was an invaluable experience in my law school career. I was being able to gain practical skills by preparing and representing several individuals at their parole hearings. The most meaningful aspect was seeing that with every meeting, each client was another step closer in their journey to freedom.

Liza Little, JD 2015

Working for the Post-Conviction Justice Project was certainly the highlight of my law school eduction. It was an amazing opportunity to be able to work with clients on both interesting and important issues and to get hands-on legal experience. I feel that it prepared me very well to be able to handle cases independently upon graduating.