Kerri Cassedy is 24 years old. She went from dealing with unstable environments and unpredictable situations to putting herself through college and supporting herself independently. Both of Kerri’s parents passed away and she was placed in foster care at the age of 12.
Kerri has managed to create a path of success throughout her adolescence to become the successful young lady she is today. Kerri is an Alumni at Florida International University with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communications and is continuing her education at St. Thomas School of Law in Miami Gardens to complete her Master of Laws in Intercultural Human Rights.
She has managed to beat all odds against her and lead herself on the path of success. Kerri feels her main purpose is to inspire people to take action, get involved and make a difference in the life of children and young adults. She has given her testimony at fundraising events to raise money for children in foster care and young adults aging out of foster care.
Kerri hopes to continue helping children and young adults by continuing her education and expanding her network in all aspects across political, social, economic and cultural.
The Scholarship
The Club Scholarship Fund includes funds specifically designated for a Place of Hope student. The Fund Board met and discussed Kerri’s situation and agreed to provide a one-time $15,000 special scholarship for Kerri to help her study for and obtain the Master of Laws in Intercultural Human Rights at St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami.
Kerri will work with Charles Bender, CEO of Place of Hope, to find additional funds to help cover the $37,000 tuition for the program. Kerri plans to enroll in a JD program after completing this LL.M. program.
The LLM Program
This innovative LL.M. program is designed to offer in-depth instruction on the critical issue of our time: the protection of human dignity across political, social, economic, and cultural lines. Lawyers, government officials, teachers, human rights activists, and businessmen and women with a commitment to human rights and social justice are invited to St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami to pursue an advanced degree in one of the most dynamic fields of international law: intercultural human rights.
The excellence of instruction emanating from world-renowned faculty from the United Nations and eminent centers of scholarship creates a highly stimulating learning environment and promises the most challenging academic experience of a student’s career.
Students develop the ability to evaluate the major theories, practices and fundamental concepts in international human rights law and policy, as well as to conduct effective research and advocacy in the field in a practical and interactive way.
By now, the LL.M. Program in Intercultural Human Rights has graduated over 400 students from 85 countries around the world and from all over the U.S. They are ambassadors in the struggle for protection of human dignity, working with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Volunteers, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Council of Europe, the African Union, the International Organization for Migration, the World Bank, OXFAM, the Open Society Forum, the Parliamentarians for Global Action, the Red Cross, and others successfully litigating cases in courts; working for governments and in academia or running their own NGOs. A number of our graduates are now teaching in the field, at the University of North Carolina, Cornell, the City University of Hong Kong, Addis Ababa University, the Romanian-American University, and the United Nations University to mention a few.
The LL.M. degree is earned in one year upon completion of 24 academic credits. The program offers 12 compact courses in intercultural human rights. Universal and regional human rights law and complaint procedures, international law, humanitarian law, human rights and terrorism, human rights and the environment will be addressed, as well as issues of refugees, women and children, indigenous peoples, religion, criminal law, and international trade. The courses explore theoretical issues and developing skills in practical applications guarantee that the program, after almost twenty- years, continues to excel.