Student Perspectives
My international legal experience didn’t end with this study abroad program. After leaving Costa Rica, I moved to India, where I worked as an in- tern for the Human Rights Law Network. In my work preparing public interest litigation petitions before the Delhi High Court, I was able to use the knowledge I gained from studying abroad to more effectively allege violations of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Now, in my current po- sition as a law fellow with the International Justice Resource Center, I draw upon my understanding
of international human rights mechanisms every day.
Could I have learned these skills in a classroom? Maybe. But looking back, I realize that studying abroad was one of the most formative aspects of my law school experience. The subject matter, the sense of adventure, and the people I was able to surround myself with were just what I needed to recharge and realize that my dreams could be- come a reality.
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Student Perspectives: Costa Rica Experience
by Matthew Toyama 24 S
tudying international human rights law and fulfilling a dual language internship in Costa Rica were the most foundational experiences during my time in law school.
Yes, I will admit taking summer class and intern- ing in a place where I was able to hike through cloud forests and swim in volcano crater lakes on the weekends not to mention, meet the girl of my dreams, did sweeten the deal for me. But the fun and adventure in no way diminished the value I gained from spending two and a half months abroad after my first year of law school. This ex- perience has contributed more towards my well- rounded legal education and professional develop- ment than anything since.
Who becomes the president of any country in its next election, how to understand the challenges facing domestic criminal justice systems, what a multinational corporation can do to generate greater dividends for its stockholders, and where a drone missile strike will happen next are all ques- tions that emphasize the relevance of an interna- tional component in a law student’s education. For
the person who does not want to miss the forest for the trees, I believe that rounding out one’s un- derstanding of domestic laws with knowledge of the international legal framework is essential.
My study abroad with the Santa Clara University’s international human rights program took place at the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica. Academically, profession- ally, and personally, the summer I spent in Costa Rica was by far one of the best of my life. Before studying abroad, the existence of regional inter- national human rights regimes such as the Inter- American System had little meaning for me.
Studying the development of modern public inter- national law and gaining a personal understand- ing of the scope of the American Convention on Human Rights has also propelled me forward in my legal career. Since leaving Costa Rica I have interned with the Center for Justice and Account- ability, traveled to Mexico City in support of an am- icus curiae brief on behalf of Haitian persons alleg- ing due process violations against the Dominican Republic, and supported the work of James Caval-
ILSA Quarterly » volume 23 » issue 2 » December 2014
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