Exploring less usual careers in human rights
Summary
Italian, migrant, human rights practitioner. This is how Sabrina Galella describes herself. She has been guided since her childhood by a sense of empathy and compassion.
Before her master in human rights, she studied politics and international relations. She thinks that combining the world of politics and the world of law make for a more enriching journey to understand just all of the issues that surround us. “I joined the dots of everything that is happening around the world. And I'm able to develop solutions that are based on politics, but also based on legal aspects of legal frameworks. And that made a difference.”
Small victories give her joy in her work. She knows that fighting for human rights can feel like a furstrating uphill battle and makes sure to celebrate the smal victories. Making the difference for one person is an opportunity to bring more people onboard and show them the importance of knowing their rights.
The main piece of advice of Sabrina to recent graduates is to remember that there is no linear path, but she also adds that you should:
-
Be clear about the things that you can do that you cannot do; it is totally fair to say that you will not do a long unpaid internship. Demand the things that you want to see changed, and people can possibly listen to you.
-
Do not worry if English is not your first language!
-
Do not worry if you just have to try different things, and then you end up not liking them. Explore all the things that you like, don't waste time doing the things that you shouldn't be doing or do not want to be doing.
-
Dive deep into everything that is important to you. As long as there are these values that you want to work on, you'll find your tribe.
She also stresses the importance of networking. She realised that her job search after graduating was made harder by the lack of a proper network. She had been working full-time besides her studies and never had enough time and energy to dedicate to networking. Inequalities show as well in that regard and universities should think of ways to help students coming from more economically disadvantaged families with work placements and networking.
Explore all the things that you like, don't waste time doing the things that you shouldn't be doing or do not want to be doing.
Sabrina Galella
After her degree in Politics and International Relations in London, Sabrina earned a LLM in Human Rights Law from the University of Edinburgh.
She worked as a researcher for the Scottish Parliament and then moved to lead the policy work of a youth homelessness organisation, where she worked on prevention, partnership, and capacity building. She managed a coalition of partners across sectors, provided guidance and advice to key stakeholders, and led the development of the first youth homelessness prevention pathways commissioned by the Scottish Government.
She now leads the policy and public affairs work at JustRight Scotland, where she develops and execute policy and influencing strategies across a range of human rights and equality issues.
Sabrina is passionate about ensuring people with lived experience are meaningfully involved in the policy-making process, and that governments, third sector organisations and the public are equally included to tackle issues around social justice.