Taylor Rudtner

Taylor Rudtner is from Long Beach, New York and graduated from Elon University magna cum laude in 2022. She received her B.A. in Political Science and International and Global Studies with minors in Italian Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies. While there, she completed two undergraduate theses: one on the political messaging utilized by far-right parties in Italy and another on the deficits of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees. She also interned at two NGOs, the Advocacy Project in Washington DC and Cidis Onlus in Naples, Italy.

After graduating, Taylor completed a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA in New York City. She served the Department of Social Services’ NYCitizenship program, which connects immigrants on benefits seeking citizenship with lawyers to help them naturalize for free. By establishing new systems, she worked to expand the program’s capacity to better serve immigrant communities in NYC.

Starting fall of 2023, Taylor moved to Northern Ireland to pursue a master’s degree in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice from Queen’s University Belfast. While there, she has expanded upon her interest in transitional justice and human rights law, with a focus on bridging the gap between theory and practice within international legal systems. Her dissertation centers around the disappeared, examining the efficacy of truth recovery and transitional justice efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina regarding the crime of enforced disappearance. In using socio-legal framework, she emphasizes the importance of grassroots, victim-centered and trauma-informed initiatives in post-conflict settings.

While at Georgetown, Taylor is excited to continue her legal education and her pursuit of a career in international human rights law. Taylor speaks Italian and has elementary proficiency in French. In her free time, she enjoys painting, cooking, reading, and spending time outdoors.