Each year, the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ) offers Practice Fellowships exclusively to Kroc School students. Each Practice Fellow supports one of the Kroc IPJ’s initiatives: California Violence Prevention; Cross-Border Initiatives; Violence, Inequality and Power Lab; and Women, Peace and Security. This Fellowship helps Kroc School students gain hands-on experience in the peacebuilding field, such as collaborating with partner organizations, assisting with research, and coordinating programming.
Learn more about the 2024-2025 Practice Fellows: Kirsten Chaplin (MA in Peace and Justice), Lucy OBrien (MA in Peace and Justice), Rebeca Ancer Gomez (JD/MA in Law and Peace and Justice), and Ren Flanders (MA in Social Innovation).
Kirsten Chaplin
Violence, Inequality and Power Lab
MA in Peace and Justice
Kirsten Chaplin is serving as the Violence, Inequality and Power Lab Practice Fellow with the Kroc IPJ while pursuing her Masters in Peace and Justice. Prior to Kroc, Kirsten worked as a Project Associate at the American Institutes for Research in the International Development Division, focusing on armed conflict and group violence, among other topic areas such as international education. Kirsten’s interest in the dynamics of violence sparked while living in several different Latin American countries where she saw the effects of violence on the daily lives of the people surrounding her. Kirsten earned a Bachelor of Arts in Human Developmental Sciences and Minor in Business from the University of California San Diego and hopes to continue exploring the root causes of group violence and applying evidence-based strategies for peacebuilding.
Lucy OBrien
California Violence Prevention
MA in Peace and Justice
Lucy will be working in the Kroc IPJ’s California Violence Prevention initiative during the 2024-2025 school year. After growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, she attended Marquette University where she earned a bachelor's degree in Peace Studies. In her four years at Marquette she worked closely with the formerly incarcerated community. She has a passion for the way restorative practices can be used as a good support system for individuals re-entering society after incarceration. She is excited to expand her knowledge in violence prevention techniques and begin working alongside the San Diego community.
Rebeca Ancer Gomez
Cross-Border Initiatives
JD/MA in Law and Peace and Justice
Born and raised in Mexico, Rebeca is a dual degree student at the Kroc School of Peace and Justice and the University of San Diego School of Law. Previous to living in San Diego, she studied at the University of Toronto in Canada, where she served as the President of the Ethics, Society and Law Students Association. This year, along with being a Cross Border Initiatives Practice Fellow, she is serving as a member of the Law School DEI Student Advisory Board, Vice President of the Student Bar Association, PR Coordinator of the Women's Law Caucus, and Associate of the San Diego International Law Journal. Rebeca has worked in organizations such as Human Rights First and Casa Cornelia to represent asylum-seekers in the U.S. As an international student, Rebeca looks forward to working as a fellow to promote the mission of the Cross Border Initiatives, as well as learn and grow as an advocate for human rights.
Ren Flanders
Women, Peace and SEcurity
MA in Social Innovation
Arenne ‘Ren’ Flanders was born/raised in northeast Ohio and earned bachelor’s degrees in international relations and political science from Cleveland State University. Throughout her undergraduate studies, Ren was the lead organizer for the New Abolitionist Association, where she fought to set up a Citizen’s Police Review Board and designed constructive programming for local youth, which ignited her passion for justice and equity. Professionally, Ren is a proven public servant and startup professional with experience developing free education programs, collaborative public services, and constructive community programs. Ren is passionate about bridging gaps between community needs and government service, dismantling violent systems, and addressing our most pressing concerns sustainably.
