30 Days of Pride!

June 19 : SLDN's Legal Interns

Desiree Woods - Desiree joined SLDN May 2012 as a summer legal intern.  As the daughter of lesbians, one of whom served in the United States Army, Desiree knows firsthand the difficulty thatLGBT families can face when navigating inflexible and unclear policies. Desiree is looking forward to expanding her knowledge on transgender military law, and hopes that one day all people will be able to openly serve their country.

A rising 2L at George Washington University School of Law, she is the co-president of Lambda Law and participates in the District Record Sealing Service with the District’s Public Defender Service. A native northern Californian, Desiree completed her undergraduate work at Humboldt State University earning  a BA in Political Science and International Studies with a minor in Economics. 
The year before law school Desiree served as an Americorps member in San Diego, mentoring gang-affiliated and behaviorally-challenged high school students in a local school. She also spent time working as a social worker’s assistant with foster children and volunteering for various peer counseling programs serving incarcerated minors.  Because of her background working with children Desiree is extremely excited to work on issues related to families during her time with SLDN.

David Wexelblat - David is currently a student a American University's Washington College of Law and joined SLDN as a legal intern in May 2012.  David is a Publications Editor for the American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law, where his Comment analyzing the religious exemptions in New York's Marriage Equality Act is being published. David has also been Finance Director of WCL's Lambda Law Society.  

David received B.S. & M.S. degrees in Computer Science from Washington University in St. Louis, an M.B.A from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, and will receive his J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law in May 2013. 

During law school, David has also interned for Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and  for the Computer & Communications Industry Association. Prior to entering law school, David worked in the software, Internet, and telecommunications industries, holding engineering, strategy, and product management positions at such companies as AT&T Bell Laboratories, AOL, and Sprint Nextel. 

Rachel Schulman - Rachel joined SLDN as a legal intern in May of 2012.  Originally from Connecticut, Rachel studied Social Work and Asian Studies at Skidmore College, where she graduated in 2008.  While in college, Rachel studied abroad in London, India, and Argentina, and participated in internships with Captain Youth and Family Services, the Fund for Modern Courts, Family Planning Advocates of New York State, and the Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared.  After graduation, Rachel spent a year teaching English in China and Indonesia.  Upon returning to the U.S., Rachel began a two-year internship with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, assisting the Senator in her fight to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.  Through the culmination of these experiences, Rachel decided to pursue a career in law and hopes to work in the realm of policy, changing the laws which unfairly discriminate against many Americans.

Now, a second year law student at American University, Washington College of Law, Rachel is a member of the Center for Human Right and Humanitarian Law’s Student Advisory Board and as well as the Journal of Gender, Social Policy, & the Law.  Her family’s background in the military, prior experience with the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and dedication to social justice issues brought Rachel to SLDN.  She hopes to soon see the day where all service members are given full and proper appreciation for the selfless work that they do.