Saba Mengesha L’25

Saba graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she received a BA in History. During college, she engaged in several efforts aimed at unraveling entrenched disparities and expanding access to justice for underserved communities. She interned at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, which provides free legal assistance to low-income individuals and families, and UCLA UniCamp, a student-run camp for Los Angeles area youth. Following graduation, Saba continued her work at UCLA UniCamp as a Program Advisor and then Program Director, overseeing camp programming and managing fundraising.

Saba then took the skills she developed to the immigration public interest sphere, first working as a legal and policy researcher at the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, where she focused on unaccompanied minor immigration cases at the state and national level, and in private immigration practice. Saba joins the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School from Human Rights Watch where she managed fundraising, outreach, and advocacy efforts for the Los Angeles Committee around the youth justice system, criminalization of homelessness, and immigration practices and procedures.

These experiences solidified Saba’s belief that persistent and mindful advocacy can have a positive impact on society. Being raised is Saudi Arabia, where information is censored and communications monitored, she is acutely aware of the importance of access to education and information. Saba hopes to continue on the path of providing legal literacy and mindful advocacy for vulnerable populations.