Professional experience
United Nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR),Legal Protection Intern,
London 29/01/2013 – 31/07/2013, full time internship
- drafting of documents to send to the UK Home office,
- research for UNHCR drafts,
- dealing with requests from asylum seekers and refugees all around the world on the phone, in person and via email in different languages, offering solutions to their requests,
Hackney Migrants Centre, Volunteer Advisor
London 12/2012-present, United Kingdom, ad-hoc volunteering,
- welcoming migrants, refugees and asylum seekers at the centre,
- drafting an outline of their immigration story, identifying specific needs and readdressing them to the appropriate advisor in case of further legal implications,
- drafting grant requests and referring for shelters.
Organization for refuge, asylum and migration (ORAM), Research Intern
05/2011 – 07/2012, remote internship
- research about the situation of LGBTI individuals in selected countries and
- drafting ofCountry of Origin reports for further use in advocacy, now part of documents to download.
Transgender legal defense and Education Fund, (TLDEF) Research intern,
New York, 12/2011 - 05/2012, part-time internship
- research for the “50 State Project” to provide updated information with regards to the legislations about name and sex designation changes across the U.S;
- intake for the “Name Change Project”;
Helsinki Citizens Assembly,(HCA) Intern
Istanbul, 09/2010 – 03/2011, part-time internship
- Front desk and intake of first clients;
- researching laws and violations of human rights applicable to refugee cases;
- drafting of letters of appeal.
Sky Tg 24 News, Video editor
Rome, 12/2006 – 09/2009 full-time free-lance
- Video editing with Avid software for SkyTG24 NewsChannel;
Education
MA in International Relations, Istanbul Bilgi University
Istanbul 09/2009-07/2011
Thesis on credibility assessment in Refugee Status Determination in Turkey with regards to LGBTI asylum seekers’ claims.
University of Rome “La Sapienza”, BA in History of Contemporary Art,
Rome 10/2002-12/2006
Thesis about the interaction of Art and Micro loans.
Conferences and Training
European Union Asylum Law and Policy, School of Advanced Studies,
London, 02/2013- 03/2013
Short course, several modules focusing on International Refugee Law and its interaction with EU asylum law and its implementation.
Gender non-conformants refugees, Greenwich University,
London 07/2012
Presented a paper at the “Double Jeopardy” conference, focusing on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity asylum claims.
International Summer School “Migration and States: Mediterranean case” Koç University.
Istanbul 07/2012
LGBTI refugees: a growing concern, Istanbul Bilgi University.
Istanbul 10/2011
Seminar given at Istanbul Bilgi University presenting the outcome of the research.
Credibility Issues for LGBTI asylum seekers in Turkey, Amsterdam Vreje Universitet
Amsterdam 09/2011
Paper presented at the 2011 “Fleeing Homophobia: Seeking Safety in Europe”.
Volunteer Experience
London 05/2013 South London Welcome Project for Migrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Istanbul 03/2010 – 03/2011 LAMBDA LGBTQ: Member of Istanbul Pride Week Committee 2010; organization of weekly screening and discussions about Queer Cinema as member of the Queer Cinema Group; translator.