Welcome Summer Clinic Interns 2020

The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation’s Health Law and Food Law and Policy Clinics are pleased to be working with clinic interns for summer 2020. Below is an introduction to some of the interns we are working with this summer:

Leah Costlow is an intern in the Health Law and Policy Clinic. She is pursuing her M.S. in Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Her interest in equitable and sustainable food systems emerged from 10 years of working on farms in her home state of Maine. In her work at the Friedman School, she is focused on the intersections of the food and health systems, and on the impact those systems have on regular people. Leah graduated from the Great Books program at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she gained a deep appreciation for the power of critical questioning and collaboration to bring about change. In her spare time, she reads, runs, and sings with Early Music ensembles in the Boston area.

Amanda Dell is an intern in the Food Law and Policy Clinic. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and food justice activist. She is currently pursuing an M.S. in Food Policy and Programs at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. At Friedman, she is a co-chair of the Student Alliance for Social Justice and Racial Equity group and is an active member in the Service Scholars community service group. In her spare time, Amanda is a consultant for scratch-cooked school food programs and uses her expertise to assist with menu development, nutrition education curricula, and program analysis. She received her B.S. in dietetics from the University of Delaware and completed her dietetic internship in Washington, DC where she focused on farm-to-school programs. On the weekends, you can find Amanda volunteering on farms, cooking simple tasty recipes, or adventuring in the outdoors.

MJ McDonald is an intern in the Food Law and Policy Clinic. She is a rising 2L at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law. Before law school, she studied Classics at the University of Puget Sound and worked for the school’s social justice center. There, MJ became interested in the intersections of food access, gender identity, and structural racism. At Richardson, MJ is the president of the Food Law Society, and she co-founded a food bank for students experiencing food insecurity. After law school, MJ hopes to become a professor, so she can advocate for equitable food systems through research and teaching. In her spare time, MJ loves to garden and swim in the ocean.

Regan J. Plekenpol is an intern in the Food Law and Policy Clinic. She is currently an MPH candidate in Nutrition at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. She graduated from Dartmouth with degrees in both Public Policy and Human Centered Design, where she became passionate about the intersection of food systems and the environment, with a focused interest on improving access to nutritious and sustainable food sources. Prior to grad school, Regan worked with clients as a board certified holistic health and wellness coach and volunteered at an urban hydroponics farming start-up in TriBeCa. She is an environmental activist and loves researching and experimenting with zero waste living and exploring new plant-based recipes.

Ali Schklair is an intern in the Food Law and Policy Clinic. She is currently pursuing her MPH in Nutrition at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. After earning her undergraduate degree from Smith College, Ali moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a job coach on a farm that employs people with disabilities. Working on a farm inspired her interest in other areas of the food system. Ali moved on to work as a food policy fellow at a consumer rights non-profit where she became an expert on food loss and waste. Throughout, she has been interested in working on removing the systemic barriers that fuel disparities in nutrition outcomes and food access. In her spare time, she loves to bike, hike, and do anything else outdoors.