Preparing students for future success
Through the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, Iowa Law has the unique ability to support law students by providing summer stipends to assist students pursuing public interest or public service careers in environmental law.
Summer internships, a staple of the law school experience, offer students the opportunity to explore legal career options, obtain practical legal skills, and begin developing a network. Student recipients of the HELI summer funding use the funding to support unpaid summer positions after their first and second years of law school. What they learn through these practical legal experiences shape their career trajectories and expand their professional networks.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the HELI team worked closely with the Career Services team to identify students as well as internship opportunities in the Midwest, in an effort to match students with open opportunities.
As a result of this coordinating effort, HELI is proud to support 12 Iowa Law students who are embarking on professional experiences this summer. 67% of the students receiving this support will be working at organizations within Iowa. 92% of the students receiving this support will be remaining in the Midwest, working in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Students are working in positions at the following organizations:
- Clean Wisconsin
- Driftless Water Defenders
- Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice
- Environmental Law and Policy Center
- Iowa Attorney General's Office Environmental Law Division
- Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
- Iowa Environmental Council
- Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
Meet the summer student interns
Below are profiles of each student selected for summer support by the HELI and Career Services teams.
Noah Gaber, Class of 2026
Hometown: Dubuque, Iowa
Summer position: The Driftless Water Defenders nonprofit in Iowa City, Iowa. I will be creating an Iowa specific environmental law handbook meant to aid attorneys and other professionals in their efforts related to protecting Iowa's environment. I will be assisting in starting a non-profit focused on assessing the water quality in the driftless region in Northeastern Iowa in an effort to protect Iowa's water and potentially aid in litigating Iowa's water safety.
How do you plan to use this position or experience to create change? I have worked for environmental initiatives in the past but none of what I did will be as impactful as this Summer project will be. As cancer rates in Iowa rise, regulations are rolled back and more factory farms end up in the state, water quality is becoming a crisis. We're hoping to make real strides towards protecting water in Iowa by educating the public, providing resources for professionals and preparing for potential litigation in the future. Having been born and raised in Iowa, I am very excited to have the opportunity to work on this project and help protect the environment of my home.
Mackenzie Holmes, Class of 2026
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Summer position: I will be working for the Iowa Attorney General's Office on an agricultural reporting project.
How will this funding support make a difference in your education and professional goals? This summer funding will make a huge difference in my professional goals, specifically broadening my knowledge of law. I think it's important to get to experience the law from a governmental perspective to really understand how bills get made and what occurs after they pass. This isn't always sustainable for law students however due to monetary considerations, so the ability to have this grant will further my drive for more experience.
Mateen Karimi, Class of 2026
Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa
Summer position: I will be working as a Summer Law Clerk at the Iowa Environmental Council in Des Moines, Iowa.
Why is environmental or public interest work important to you? Environmental work is important to me because we must meet our climate goals that have been set by national and international governments around the world. The clock is ticking. I also think environmental law is a fascinating, rapidly growing field that involves engagement with multiple disciplines, including business, science, and the legal profession. Tackling lofty goals of achieving net zero emissions is going to require an “all-hands-on-deck” approach, and one of the best ways to do that is to get involved at the local level. Environmental work is important to me because, well, it is important. I need to learn more about what environmental law looks like in the context of Iowa, especially in regards to what work still needs to be done. However, thinking about what is possible in Iowa excites me very much. I think it is really important that I learn from this experience to familiarize myself with what environmental attorneys do. Thus, in order to use this position to create change, I first need to educate myself on what that change could look like, and then we can get to work!
Nina Marquardt, Class of 2026
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Summer position: I will be working as a clerk at the nonprofit Driftless Water Defenders in Iowa City.
Why is environmental or public interest work important to you? As someone who has always loved being outdoors and learning about nature, I try to be a steward of the environment, not just a consumer. Environmental and public interest work aligns with my values and passions for preserving the environment and establishing a foundation for my community to be sustainable and resilient. I see environmental and public interest work as a fundamental responsibility to create a sustainable and equitable society as environmental issues intersect with social justice concerns. By advocating and working for environmental protection and responsible practices, we can address systemic inequalities and ensure a better future for generations to come. This funding will significantly improve my education and professional goals by allowing me to focus on my upcoming summer clerkship position without having to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. I plan to use this clerkship as an opportunity to grow my legal research and writing skills. Specifically, I would like to become more acquainted with environmental law, specifically in Iowa. I would like to learn more about how it functions and what I need to do to succeed as an environmental lawyer in the state.
Sonia Mehra, Class of 2025
Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Summer position: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. I will be working on providing grants to counties for water maintenance and development, working on projects revolving around the usage of wells, and there is an ongoing project with FEMA on creating disaster plans for spills that could have a radiological impact on human health.
How will this HELI summer grant make a difference in your education and professional goals? I am so excited to be able to pursue my interest in the intersection of Healthcare Law and Environmental Law at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services this summer. The funding that HELI has given me makes a huge difference in my educational goals. Thanks to that funding, I can afford to get experiential credits for the work that I am doing this summer and has helped fund my housing in Des Moines. Without this grant, I don’t think it would have been financially possible for me to accept this internship.
Bryce Merges, Class of 2026
Hometown: Ames, IA
Summer position: I will be working at the Des Moines office of the Environmental Law and Policy Center under Senior Attorney Josh Mandelbaum. I will be researching and writing memos about environmental issues affecting Iowa such as clean water access, clean energy usage, zoning, and other related issues.
How will this funding support make a difference in your education and professional goals? Receiving this funding allowed me to pursue a position doing important work for our state that I wouldn't have been able to do without receiving the funding. I will be able to save money for the upcoming semester while exploring an area that I am interested in, and I am very thankful for the support to be able to do it.
Kristjan Nixon, Class of 2026
Hometown: Pierre, South Dakota
Summer position: I will be working at the Driftless Water Defenders. Our project for the summer is the first section of a handbook that will help lawyers in Iowa access environmental law.
Why is environmental or public interest work important to you? Environmental work is important to me because I've grown up with the climate crisis. Watching winters get shorter and weather get more erratic is a surreal experience that has reinforced the value of the world we have. Environmental advocacy moves our society toward a balance with nature, and I hope to help however I can.
Kegan Peters, Class of 2025
Hometown: Ames, Iowa
Summer position: This summer I will be interning in Washington D.C. in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. After graduation, I hope to practice environmental law for either the government or a non-profit. Post-graduation I also look forward to continuing to explore my interest in academic research and writing.
How has funding support made a difference in your education and professional goals: Without HELI funding I would never have traveled to the ABA SEER conference in Chicago. I'm so glad I did, though, as I met some fabulous environmental attorneys at the conference who I'm sure will be my mentors for years to come.
Charles Petersen, Class of 2026
Hometown: Marion, Iowa
Summer position: I am working as a legal intern for Clean Wisconsin assisting them in environmental issues involving water quality, air quality, and climate.
How will this funding support make a difference in your education and professional goals: This funding will make a difference in my education and professional goals by providing the necessary support for me to take this opportunity in another state. Working for an organization involved with environmental legal issues, scientific research, and public policy will be a unique experience and learning opportunity. I will get valuable hands-on experience with attorneys working in this critical field of law. As a student traversing law school on a limited budget, I really appreciate HELI’s funding support in allowing me to get this experience.
Mark Prihoda, Class of 2026
Hometown: Brookfield, Wisconsin
Summer position: I will be working at the Driftless Water Defenders. The project for the summer is the first section of a handbook that will help lawyers in Iowa access environmental law.
How do you plan to use this position or experience to create change? My work at the Driftless Water Defenders will serve a non-partisan interest in providing legal theories for victims of water pollution. I am very excited to be working under the guidance of Mr. Larew to help develop this environmental law framework for the public! There are few things more important—to everyone—than clean water.
Nate Spindler-Krage, Class of 2026
Hometown: Rochester, Minnesota
Summer position: I will be working as a Summer Law Clerk at the Iowa Environmental Council in Des Moines, where I will advocate for justice in our water quality and utility regulation, from both policy and legal perspectives. It is critical that Iowa has effective, forward-thinking laws and that Iowa agencies base their decisions on science and community input from all stakeholders.
Why is environmental or public interest work important to you? Environmental work has spoken to me since I was a child, from fishing in the driftless, to tree planting and cutting buckthorn, to my first controlled burn at my grandparents' farm- I love it all: having my hands in the soil, paddling lakes, seeking out new birds or plants, hiking new places, and studying the world around me. Following education and a job in soil and water conservation, I know that people love their land but often fail to treat it well. As individuals, it often feels impossible to change the course of our society. In Iowa and much of the Midwest, we face soil loss, water quality degradation, and a quickly changing climate. We need to halt environmental destruction while adapting to what we change—and that requires everyone. Public interest work is critical because it bridges the gap between individuals and society. We may (1) build connections within our communities and (2) leverage the law to codify and enforce expectations—our hopes and dreams. Now, too often, we see our communities struggling alongside our environment. Public interest work may help us reverse course so that we, our children, and our children's children are able to connect with a safe and beautiful Iowa.
Samuel William, Class of 2026
Hometown: Shoreview, Minnesota
Where are you working this summer, and what will you be working on: I will work at the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) as a Summer Clerk. MCEA's mission is to use the law to protect Minnesota's environment, natural resources, and the health of its citizens. I will support this mission over the summer by offering research, legal analysis, and summarized findings on identified legal issues; document review, contact with administrative agencies, and pleadings drafting; analyzing potential cases and developing legal strategies; and attending client and administrative hearings.
How do you plan to use this position or experience to create change? I plan on using this experience to further the preservation of Minnesota's beautiful environment. Organizations like MCEA are vital to ensuring that other entities comply with their obligations to avoid pollution and take responsible measures to remedy any environmental damage. Every case that MCEA wins for the environment contributes to awareness of these issues and the problems that lurk behind the scenes. I am thrilled to be a contributor to the change that this position engages within.
Expanding professional networks
The Hubbell Initiative was created by the vision and generosity of alumni Charlotte Beyer Hubbell (76JD) and Fred Hubbell (76JD) and provides an active forum for interdisciplinary engagement on important environmental issues, supports law students and curriculum, and ultimately raises the environmental bar in Iowa.
The HELI team will continue to expand the network of partner organizations to establish relationships for future internship placements. If you are a member of an organization that would like to host summer interns, contact HELI at lawmail-heli@uiowa.edu.
Join us in wishing our summer interns good luck in their endeavors.