Program Officer
Karina Kaplan is a Summer Intern and a Master’s student in Global Affairs at New York University, specializing in Human Rights and International Law. She graduated cum laude from the University of Tampa with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice and a minor in Law, Justice, and Advocacy. Her academic interests include international human rights, international law, conflict prevention, and the protection of civilians and displaced populations during and after armed conflict.
Prior to beginning her graduate studies, Karina worked as a legal investigation and mitigation specialist on capital defense cases, where she conducted witness interviews, investigated clients’ life histories, and contributed to mitigation reports used in death penalty litigation. She also served as a Judicial Intern to Judge Nick Nazaretian in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, where she supported court proceedings and gained practical insight into the civil and criminal judicial processes. As a dual U.S.-Polish citizen who has lived in both Europe and the United States, she brings an international perspective to her work and is interested in the intersection of international law, human rights, and conflict.