Welcome to our new fellows and interns for the fall semester!
Ayesha Durrani, Legal Intern
Ayesha is a rising second-career 2L at South Texas College of Law. Though she was born in Portland, Oregon, her family has been firmly rooted in Houston since she was two years old, and she considers herself a Texan! Ayesha received her Bachelor of Arts at Tulane University, and her Master of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where she studied health promotion and intervention. After spending over a decade conducting epidemiologic research for various non-profit organizations, Ayesha’s interest in water law and health policy issues piqued when she studied the correlations between access to clean water and health outcomes. This led her to South Texas College of Law to obtain her JD, where she aims to arm herself with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop policies designed to improve health outcomes by protecting and increasing access to clean water. Ayesha is excited to begin her work at Bayou City Waterkeeper and immerse herself in promoting water stewardship and access to clean water for Houston-area communities.
Kelley McIntire, Legal Fellow
Kelley joins Bayou City Waterkeeper with experience working in governmental, nonprofit, and private sectors of the law. While she was an undergraduate student at Emory University, she studied abroad through wildlife field studies programs in Australia, Namibia, and Botswana. She later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in Environmental Science. Most recently, she received her Juris Doctor degree from Emory University School of Law, where she studied environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act. With Bayou City Waterkeeper, Kelley will pursue legal avenues to promote conservation.
Kelley is not admitted to practice law in Texas and is working directly under the supervision of Bayou City Waterkeeper’s Legal Director.
Tasneem Mustafa, Communications and Development Intern
Lauren Newcomer, Watershed Research Fellow
Lauren is a recent graduate from the University of North Texas with a B. S. in Ecology for Environmental Science. A native Houstonian, she spent the summer as an Environmental Education intern at Harris County’s Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve where she helped with outdoor education programs for the Preserve. In addition to the work she does with Bayou City Waterkeeper, she serves as an environmental educator at the Galveston Bay Foundation where she works to preserve and protect the Bay. She enjoys time outdoors, film and travel. She is looking forward to putting her degree to work and advocating for the environment through science and education.”
Mai Ton, Water Justice Fellow
Mai Ton grew up in Sugar Land and attended college in Houston, forging her relationship to the greater city landscape. She began working within the Houston environmental advocacy scene through the Houston Flood Musuem’s project on the flooding and toxicity within the Pleasantville neighborhood. Her work centered on a humanistic and story-telling approach to the ways people build relationships with their environment. Under the guidance of Dr. Ballestero of the Rice Anthropology Department, she expanded her work into aquifer and underground water justice advocacy. She has a vested interest in water access, indigenous rights, and climate justice. She hopes to utilize creative and ethnographic methods to educate and fight for a better world.
In her free time, Mai enjoys upcycling old or thrifted clothes, making rugs, and painting. She earned a BA for Anthroplogy, Asian Studies, and Visual Arts from Rice University.
Carlos Uribe, Communications and Development Intern
Carlos Uribe is currently a senior at the University of Houston pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. Carlos is a North Texas native with a passion for environmental justice and racial equality. Carlos has participated and volunteered for many student-led activities off and on-campus about environmental sustainability. As an on-campus leader Carlos has helped organize events for UH students such as beach cleanups, community clean-ups, and much more. Carlos enjoys photography, watching movies, and audiobooks.
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Throughout the year Bayou City Waterkeeper hosts law, policy, and science fellows and interns to help with our research, investigation, and analysis of issues affecting water quality, wetlands, and resilience to flooding and climate change across the greater Houston-Galveston region. For job, fellowship and internship openings, please visit our career opportunities page.