Meet Who’s Behind The Youth Voices for Change
Human Rights Educators USA
Dear HRE USA Member,
Thank you for being part of the 2027 Kirby Edmonds Fellowship Campaign. Your support, whether already given or still under consideration, makes a real difference, and we're grateful to have you with us.
We are excited to share that we have raised $1715, bringing us even closer to our goal of $3000. Your contributions support the next generation of Fellows and help us expand our HRE work in the months and years to come. Whether $5, $10, or more, your support means the world to us, and we deeply appreciate your donation.
This week, we're honored to introduce our 2026 Summer Edmonds Fellows. Each fellow is paired with an experienced mentor and leading a project rooted in this year's theme, “Amplifying Youth Voices for Justice and Education.” They are leading a project that puts their own voice, and the voices of the young people they serve, at the center of the fight for human rights and educational justice. This is what "amplifying youth voices" looks like in practice. Their work reflects both the promise of the next generation of human rights educators and the values Kirby Edmonds spent his life advancing.
Meet the Fellows:
Devira Sari
Fundraising, Membership, and Sustainability Fellow
Devira Sari is a Master's student in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University whose work bridges grassroots advocacy and global policy across Indonesia, Japan, and the United States, with a focus on human rights education, Indigenous rights, climate justice, and AI governance. As a Kirby Edmonds Summer Fellow with HRE USA, she is expanding her expertise in community engagement and human rights advocacy through fundraising and partner relationships.
Caitlyn Krueger
Human Rights Education Now! Podcast and Advocacy Fellow
Caitlyn Krueger is a Master's student in International Education Development at Teachers College, Columbia University, focusing on human rights, peacebuilding, and the use of storytelling to elevate educator and learner voices. She currently serves as a Professional Development Coach with the Center for the Professional Education of Teachers, and previously taught music in upstate New York while integrating human rights education into her classroom, worked with the International Rescue Committee supporting refugee and resettlement learners. Caitlyn is excited to join HRE USA this summer as a Human Rights Education Now! Podcast and Advocacy Fellow!
Erin Ostlund
TAAS Development and Evaluation Fellow
Erin Ostlund is a second-year History PhD student at the University of Minnesota, pursuing a graduate minor in human rights, with research centered on gender and labor in Latin American export production and broader U.S. economic, political, and military ties to the region during the late twentieth century. Before returning to graduate school, she spent fourteen years as a secondary Spanish and Social Studies teacher, consistently centering social justice and human rights in her work, and more recently interned part-time with the ACLU of Minnesota on a campaign to abolish 287(g) agreements with ICE, while also becoming deeply involved in local community organizing and rapid response during the ICE occupation of Minnesota. As a Kirby Edmonds Summer Fellow with HRE USA, Erin will develop the virtual 2026-27 Training As Action Series.
Madison Plemens-Schunk (they/them)
Benefits and Impacts Fellow
Madison Plemens-Schunk (they/them) is a Master's candidate in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University who, prior to graduate school, spent two and a half years as Program Assistant for the University of Minnesota Human Rights Program. During that time, they helped establish the Minnesota Human Rights Archive. Their current research centers on the role of dialogue in human rights education and organizing as a tool for fostering collective solidarity, reflecting their belief that lifelong learning is essential to human rights activism. As a Kirby Edmonds Summer Fellow with HRE USA, Madison will creatively document the benefits and impact of human rights education and showcase HRE USA's 15 years of accomplishments.
To learn more about our incredible fellows, please click here and visit our website at hreusa.org!
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action
Best Regards,
Devira Sari
Kristi Rudelius-Palmer, Ashley Steimer-King, and Hallie McRae (Supervisors)