CVLC is excited to welcome our Fall 2020 interns!

Antea Gatalica

I decided to apply to law school when I realized I wasn’t really passionate about my journalism work anymore. I’ve always been inspired by the compassion my parents found in their careers, and I wanted that for myself. Being a first generation American, I knew I wanted to work with immigrants and/or families in some capacity, but had no idea in what area of the law; it’s almost silly, but I never realized there were so many opportunities to create change with a legal education. After completing my 1L year, I worked on housing and unemployment matters at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. During this time, I was able to work with both families and immigrants, but one of my clients was a veteran. I was particularly interested in working with him because I knew I had to really earn his trust. It was clear he was going through something that he wasn’t ready to share with me right away and I wanted to show him I respected him and valued him when others may have discarded him. Through my time at the Bureau, and after connecting with the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, I learned more about what our veterans need from us, and I’ve developed a passion for doing the legal work that will aid them now and in the future.

I earned my B.A. in English at Saint Louis University in 2012, then later my M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern in 2016. Prior to law school, I worked at The New York Times and Hearst. I will graduate from Suffolk University Law School in 2022. Outside of school, you can catch me doing yoga or vegging out on Bravo.

Carolyn Lye

I am a joint M.D./J.D. candidate at the Yale School of Medicine and Yale Law School. I attended the University of Pennsylvania, where I earned a B.A. in Biology, concentrating in Neurobiology, and Linguistics. I am interested in the intersection of medicine and law, and my prior work has focused on expanding patient access, transparency in patient care, and the regulatory policies of health information, pharmaceutical development, and biomedical research. At Yale Law School, I am the Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics and a student fellow jointly with the Solomon Center for Health Policy and Law and the Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL) at Harvard Medical School. During my clinical rotations in medical school, I enjoyed working with veterans at the West Haven VA Medical Center, and saw firsthand the medicolegal issues that veterans face. I hope that my clinical experience from a medical perspective will allow me to better serve my clients at Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. I hope to continue my work with prior clients in helping them obtain disability benefits and navigate housing and unemployment issues, as well as take on new clients, particularly those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Justin Yamamura

Justin Yamamura is a junior at Yale College from San Francisco majoring in Political Science with certificates in Spanish and Statistics & Data Science. He has been working at CVLC since February 2019 through Dwight Hall at Yale’s Urban Fellows Program. During his time at CVLC, he has worked closely with the Director of Development, conducting data analysis, research, outreach, and social media and website maintenance.

At Yale, Justin serves as the Co-President of the Japanese American Students Union, works as a residential college aide for Grace Hopper College, and has served as a Student Liaison for the World Fellows Program. He was selected to conduct original research related to Japanese American incarceration during World War II through the Asian American Cultural Center at Yale’s Satoda Scholars Program.

Justin has also worked on some of the most competitive political campaigns in the country as both an intern and a field organizer. He is the founder and current Board President of the Youth Policy Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit promoting civic engagement in underserved middle school students in San Francisco.

Outside of classes and activities you can find Justin running to the top of East Rock or playing and watching basketball. He has a passion for learning languages: he has studied abroad in Ecuador and is proficient in Spanish. In addition, he is learning Portuguese and French.

In the future, he hopes to attend law school and get involved in politics or diplomacy. Interning at CVLC has been an integral part of Justin’s college experience. He is inspired each and every day by how everyone is truly dedicated to making the world a better place.