Maya Fernandez Powell

Maya Fernandez-Powell graduated from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service with honors and earned a B.S. in Regional and Comparative Studies, a minor in French, and a certificate in Diplomatic Studies. She was awarded the Stephanie Waterman Medal for most outstanding scholar-athlete and the Ernst H. Feilchenfeld Award for her research in the field of International Organization. She also completed her M.A. at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies and received the Outstanding Student Award for the Master of Professional Studies in Applied Intelligence.

Before attending Georgetown Law, Maya worked for the NGO Human Rights First as a Human Rights Investigations Researcher. She specialized in the targeting of Human Rights Defenders, engaging with international HRDs to support their security and advocacy efforts. Much of her work focused on human rights violations in Ukraine, as well as in Hungary, Poland, and Northern Ireland. While at Human Rights First, she published several human rights reports, including a report on the situation facing human rights defenders in Hungary after traveling to the country to speak with activists. Previously, she worked as a foreign affairs legislative intern for U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Throughout her academic and professional experiences, Maya has focused on far-right extremism and authoritarianism. As an undergraduate research fellow in the BMW Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University, she researched the far-right in the European Union. Her undergraduate thesis compared far-right political rhetoric in Western and Eastern Europe. Her graduate thesis focused on the January 6 Capitol Attack, analyzing the historic prosecution of the leader of the Oath Keepers.

Maya is fluent in French and proficient in Spanish. She was born in the Netherlands and moved to Portland, Oregon at a young age. Sports have always been a big part of her life. At Georgetown, she was the captain of the varsity women’s soccer team and won four Big East Championships. She also served as a board member on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, representing Georgetown student-athletes and leading initiatives, including a voter registration campaign ahead of the presidential election. After law school, she hopes to pursue a career in international law and human rights.