Reem Hamaida
Born in El Beheira, Egypt, Reem immigrated to the United States in 2008. She graduated Summa cum laude from the City University of New York, John Jay College with a B.A. in Political Science, Philosophy, and a Certificate in Dispute Resolution.
Reem interned with City Council Member Farah Louis, gaining her first insight into advocating for minority rights. Her focus was researching and addressing disparities in Black maternal mortality rates, alongside contributing to policy proposals aiding domestic violence survivors facing financial abuse.
Fueled by her passion for advocacy, Reem became a Vera Institute for Justice Fellow, interning at the Urban Resource Institute’s Legal Education and Advocacy Program, supporting attorneys in providing pro bono legal services, including assisting survivors with uncontested divorces, legal memos, and immigration cases under the Violence Against Women Act.
Simultaneously, Reem served as an intern with the Bronx District Attorney’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Bureau and the New York Attorney General’s Office, gaining her first glimpse of the intersectionality between law, socio-economic justice, and minority status.
With the support of the award-winning Rising Scholars for Justice pre-law pipeline program, Reem’s understanding of the law’s impact on minority communities deepened. She went on to intern with New York Supreme Court Justice Francois Rivera and Appellate Division Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels, learning the intricate dynamics of the legal system and its role in empowering or disenfranchising minorities.
With her unique background as a socio-economically disadvantaged immigrant, Arab Muslim woman proudly wearing her hijab, Reem aspires to bring a new inclusive perspective to the bench. Her ultimate goal is to serve as a federal judge in the U.S. Circuit Court.
Someday, Reem envisions establishing a platform empowering minorities to directly advocate for their needs, believing that those who have experienced a struggle are best equipped to understand and represent it.