Meet Our Team

Researchers

  • Kara Anderson

    Student Director and Senior Researcher

    Kara Anderson, class of 2025, is an Albion College student double majoring in political science and English and pursuing experiential learning certificates in human rights and legal studies. She is extremely passionate for human rights and plans to pursue a career in the field working as a human rights lawyer and/or in a rights based non-governmental organization. She is a founding member and the Student Director of the Albion College Human Rights Lab. She is also a 2023 Edmonds Summer Fellow with Human Rights Educators USA. Additionally, at Albion Kara is a part of the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program and the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service. She is the President of the Albion Chapter of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, the Vice President of the Student Senate, and the Vice President of Concert Choir.

    To her, the Lab is a way to learn about human rights and start taking active steps to promote and protect them. Human rights are important to her because, “they are the basis for human dignity and need to be protected. They are a hope for a better world and help outline the path to get there.”

  • Egshiglen Batjargal

    Researcher

    Egshiglen Batjargal is a junior double majoring in International Studies and International Business with an Economic emphasis. Egshiglen is from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She is a member of the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service and the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program. Egshiglen is vice president of both the Rotaract Club and the International Students Union and serves as public relations director of the Asian Awareness Group.

    Human rights matter to Egshiglen because “everyone is born with them, ensuring people’s dignity and wellbeing. Human rights are inalienable, interdependent, equal and universal. By joining the Human Rights Lab I hope to further my knowledge, share that knowledge with others and work with communities to bring change.”

  • Isaac Byrd

    Researcher

    Isaac Byrd is a political science major and sociology minor at Albion College. They graduated from Marshall High School in 2020 and have lived in the city of Albion for most of their life. Isaac has a profound love for the community where they grew up. At Albion College, Isaac is active in various campus organizations including Students for Reproductive Justice and Diversability. They are passionate about reproductive justice, the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals and labor rights.

    “I want to do my part to educate, navigate and contribute to the fulfillment of human rights. Bodily autonomy is one of the most imperative rights we are entitled to from birth as human beings. Another key to equality is to ensure that every individual has the ability to live their life with dignity and favorable working conditions, fair wages and the right to unionize are a key component.”

  • Ali Dakroub

    Researcher

    Ali Dakroub is a junior with a double-major in Political Science and Philosophy. Born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, Ali is a member of the swim and dive team and passionate about human rights as well as reading philosophy. He plans to attend law school.

    Says Ali, “Human Rights are important because we are so often unaware of the many people who lack them. Human rights work to ensure that individuals get a chance to pursue a good life; where they can be free of control and have the right to think and speak freely. When we uphold human rights, we work toward a better and fairer world.”

  • Orion Hower

    Researcher

    Orion Hower is a senior Theatre major with a minor in political science and is pursuing an experiential learning certificate in Arts and Activism. They are secretary of Alpha Psi Omega and an actor in the Theatre Department. Orion is from Columbus, Ohio where they have organized and attended protests about issues such as police brutality, gun violence and voting rights. Orion says, “A life of human dignity is fundamental to the building of a more equitable society. Human rights is a crucial step in reaching that equitable society.” Orion is passionate about showing injustice as it is and especially highlighting human rights issues that are overlooked or that people may not realize are breaches of their human rights. 

  • Kevie Lamour

    Researcher

    Kevie Lamour is an international student from Cap-Haitian, Haiti and a junior political science major and economics minor. She is a member of the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program, the James L. Curtis Institute for Race and Belonging, and the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Service, where she is pursuing a certificate in legal studies. Kevie is a member of the executive board of the Black Student Alliance and is co-founder and vice-president of the African and Caribbean Student Union. Deeply committed to service, Kevie serves as an international student peer mentor, an Albion College global ambassador, a tutor at the Harrington elementary school, and as a mentor for high school students at the Substance Abuse Prevention Services in Albion, Michigan.

    When asked why she joined the Human Rights Lab, Kevie says, “I joined the Human Rights Lab because I want to support the advancement and protection of the basic rights entitled to each individual. I also want to have more knowledge about what human rights are and learn about ways in which I can promote human rights in my community and country.”

  • Karsen Mellado

    Researcher

    Karsen Mellado, ’26 is a psychology major at Albion College. She has a passion for human rights and especially regarding mental health, people with disabilities, and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community through art and writing. Karsen says, “I want to be able to do what I enjoy while also making a positive impact on the world around me. Everyone deserves to have the same access to a sustainable and comfortable life, yet very many people don’t.” Karsen wants to be a part of changing that.

Advisors

  • Carrie Booth Walling

    Advisor

    Carrie Walling is the founder and former director of the Albion Human Rights Lab. Walling is passionate about human rights and spent 12 years collaborating with students on research and empowering them to pursue their passion at Albion College. Walling is author Human Rights and Justice for All: Demanding Dignity in the United States and Around the World. She is the Executive Director of the Human Rights Program at the University of Minnesota and a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project. Walling continues to serve as an external advisor to the Human Rights Lab.

     

  • Niyati Kellenberg Callewaert

    Advisor

    Niyati Kellenberg Callewaert is a recent graduate of Albion College where she majored in public policy and was a member of the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service. While at Albion, she served in a public relations leadership position with Albion’s chapter of the American Association of University Women and was a founding member of the college chapter of the NAACP.  During her free-time she loves to read and create art. She plans to attend graduate school for public policy and get a job that focuses on human rights policy. Niyati’s projects have linked the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with NGO and community work serving low-income and under-resourced communities. Niyati says “there are basic needs and rights that everyone should be but isn’t attainable for many.”  When asked why others should are about human rights, she replied, “Others should care about human rights because they are built on a foundation of dignity, equality, respect, and autonomy. And even if you aren’t personally affected by the lack of these basic human rights, millions of others are and they might be in your own community.” 

  • Caitlin Cummings

    Advisor

    Caitlin Cummings graduated from Albion College with a major in political science, minor in sociology and a concentration in public service in 2022. While at Albion, Caitlin was a member of the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program, the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service, and the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority where she recently served as the first Vice President Diversity Equity and Inclusion for the Pi Chapter.  Currently, Caitlin is a full-time student at Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law

    Caitlin’s work with the Albion Human Rights lab has included developing a toolkit for college students curious about human rights advocacy and designing an inclusive curriculum for Albion College’s Tour Guide Program. Caitlin’s goal is to help people gain confidence in speaking in defense of human rights issues. She says, “Human rights apply to everyone in every society and its important people are aware of human rights issues in order to stand up for justice.” 

  • Marco Antonio Colmenares Jr.

    Advisor

    Marco Colmenares is from San Francisco, California. He received his BA in Political Science from Albion College in 2020 and his JD in Law from Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law in 2023. Colmenares has a personal interest in civil rights law and criminal law. He is co-author with Carrie Walling, Morgan Armstrong, and Caitlin Cummings of “The Human Rights Advocacy Toolkit.”

Staff

  • Eddie Visco

    Program Director

    Eddie Visco, ’04, graduated from Albion College majoring in political science and speech/communication. He also graduated with a concentration in the Gerald Ford Institute for Public Service. Upon graduation, Eddie joined Teach for America and taught seventh-grade English and American history in Philadelphia. During this time he earned his Masters of Education from Chestnut Hill College. After his commitment ended he returned to Michigan and worked on the campaign of Mark Schauer for Congress, serving as his traveling assistant. Following the election victory, Eddie worked in Congressman Schauer’s district office in Jackson as his Constituent Services Representative. Eddie is the current Executive Director of the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service.