Each year, the ACLU of Colorado gets scores of applications from talented students wanting to work as legal interns, media interns and fellows over the summer in our affilliate office in Denver. This year, we've selected a particularly talented and energetic group of future legal eagles and civil rights activists. Meet our summer 2012 interns and fellows:
Elliot Mamet, Colorado College Public Interest Fellow
Elliot will be entering his sophomore year at Colorado College, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he is majoring in political science. At CC, Elliot is the Constitutional Vice President for student government and is an executive committee member of Honor Council. He is a peer writing tutor at the writing center, a residential advisor, and will begin as an admissions tour guide in the fall. Elliot is an avid debater and the 2011 NFL national champion in congressional debate. A graduate of Denver East High School, Elliot is interested in public interest law and civil rights law and hopes to attend law school. For fun, Elliot loves to play golf and tennis and explore different parts of Denver.
Rachel Milos, Legal Intern 
Rachel Milos will be entering her 3L year at DePaul University College of Law, in Chicago, Illinois. At DePaul, Rachel has published an article for DePaul’s Journal for Social Justice and works as both a research assistant and a teaching assistant. A native of Elmhurst, IL, Rachel received a B.A. in French Literature and Language, and a Masters in Education and Social Policy, both from Northwestern University. Rachel was previously a program director at the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation, and a classroom teacher who helped to start Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts in Thornton, Colorado. Her dream job is working at a nonprofit on poverty law issues concerning women and children. Rachel loves to run, hike, ski, read, travel as much as possible, play Frisbee with her dog, and chase around her two-year-old nephew, Danny.
Lisa Napper, Media Intern
Lisa Napper is a rising senior at Rangeview High School, in Aurora, Colorado. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Lisa moved to Colorado and has been raised in Aurora. Lisa is a part of the Galaxy Initiative, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She is president of the Diversity Student Alliance, a student trainer for No Place for Hate, and the secretary of M.E.S.A. Additionally, Lisa is involved in National Honor Society, Sisters Involved in the Community, and Advanced Performing Arts. Interested in a career in environmental engineering and public health, she is working at the ACLU this summer to gain experience in positive publicity directed at change. Lisa has a very busy summer ahead: she is taking a college class in mythology, and attending leadership conferences in Denver, Fort Collins, Bloomington Illinois, and Houston Texas.
Lisa Faye Petak, Legal Intern
Lisa Faye Petak will be entering her 2L year at the University of California, Irvine School of Law in Orange County, California. At UC Irvine, Lisa chairs of the Student Bar Association, directs The Vagina Monologues, serves on the Executive Board of the Women’s Law Society, and works as a research assistant. A Colorado native, Lisa grew up in Littleton before flitting eastward for a B.A. in Political Science/Literature at American University in Washington, DC, and then a M.A. in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. Previously Lisa worked as a reproductive rights counselor for the National Abortion Federation and as a research assistant for the New York Times. One goal of hers is to rid the world of sexism, racism, classism, and every other –ism as a civil rights litigator, preferably while fighting for reproductive choice and gender equality. For fun, you can find Lisa ice skating or curled up with the latest subversive contemporary fiction.
Marc Sallinger, Media Intern
Marc Sallinger is a rising senior at Mullen High School, in Denver, Colorado. A new media whiz, Marc is interested in all things journalism, and in particular, how organizations like the ACLU of Colorado use social media to affect change. He is editor of Mullen Media, Mullen’s online newspaper, and plays soccer competitively for Colorado Rush. Additionally, Marc is president of the National Honor Society at Mullen. Besides working at the ACLU this summer, Marc is writing for the Stapleton Front Porch Newspaper and interning in the campaign office of Congressman Ed Perlmutter. On top of that, he will be travelling to Spain with his family for July and stopping by the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Tanika Vigil, Legal Intern
Tanika Vigil will be entering her 2L year at Harvard Law School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tanika is the Project Director for the Harvard Immigration Project’s Bond Hearing Project that represents detained immigrants in their Immigration Court bond hearings. This fall, she will be starting work with the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, providing pro bono legal services to low income families. A Boulder native, Tanika received a B.A. from Amherst College. Previously, Tanika worked for an immigration attorney in Boulder, and worked for Amigos de las Americas in Boaco, Nicaragua. Her passion is for immigration law and the first amendment, and she’d love to work on issues that affect the immigrant community. Tanika loves to play soccer and travel. After completing her internship this summer, she will visit an Achuar tribe in Ecuador to learn about sustainability.
Rosalie Wilmot, Media Intern
Rosalie Wilmot just graduated from the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado, with degrees in English and International Studies. Rosalie served as president of New Era Colorado’s DU chapter, working to engage young people in the political process. Additionally, Rosalie has served as a summer fellow on the Washington Bus. Her passion is for communicating complex issues to the public, and she hopes to land a career in international correspondence or public radio. One highlight of her pre-ACLU life was standing under Sipi Falls in Eastern Uganda. Besides working at the ACLU this summer, you can find Rosalie serving drinks as a barista at Dazbog Coffee.
