Two students in Notre Dame Law School’s LL.M. Program in International Human Rights Law – Victoria Mendoza Ruiz, from Mexico, and Gvantsa Dolbaia, from Georgia – have been selected for the prestigious Fulbright Scholars Program.

Victoria Mendoza Ruiz is a Mexican lawyer and earned her law degree from Universidad Don Vasco at the top of her class. Over the past three years, she has held various leadership positions at a California-based nonprofit focused on immigrant advocacy and legal defense, eventually serving as its immigration law program manager. It was this experience that ignited her passion for U.S. immigration law and human rights and led her to apply for the COMEXUS-Fulbright García Robles scholarship. While at ND Law, she will take part in the LL.M. Human Rights program, where she hopes to learn from diverse perspectives on human rights defense to enhance her involvement in international and national organizations. She aims to deepen her understanding of American immigration law and its roots in Latin America while providing high-quality legal representation in immigration and human rights.

Gvantsa Dolbaia is a human rights lawyer from Georgia. She graduated with highest honors, summa cum laude, from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University in 2022. Her career has been centered on representing Georgia in both individual and interstate disputes before international courts. A standout moment in her career she says is when she collaborated with a group of lawyers from the Ministry of Justice on an important landmark victory for her home country in Georgia v. Russia, which was adjudicated by the European Court of Human Rights. In addition to her role at the Ministry of Justice, Gvantsa has organized and led educational projects, delivering lectures in Public International Law and International Human Rights Law through various non-governmental organizations, including the International Institute for Strategic Research (IISR). She has taught students from across continents, focusing on topics aligned with her expertise and experience in the field. During her time at Notre Dame Law School, Dolbaia says she is enthusiastic about writing her LL.M. thesis, engaging in coursework, internships, and contributing to the Law School’s Global Human RIghts Clinic.

"It is a testament to Notre Dame Law School's excellence, including the global renown and rigor of its LL.M. Program in International Human Rights Law, that we regularly attract and bring in exceptional foreign human rights lawyers, elite jurists, and early-career academics who are recipients of prized scholarships such as the Fulbright Scholarships,” said Diane Desierto, law professor of law and faculty director for the Law School’s LL.M. Program in International Human Rights Law. “Our Program has admitted students from Fulbright offices in Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Africa, and we appreciate the valuable contributions of Fulbright scholars to enriching our global community, intellectual life and shared work in human rights at Notre Dame Law School."

The Fulbright Scholars Program serves as the premier international exchange program for students. Fulbright Scholars are selected among a competitive pool of applicants each year to study, conduct research, and teach in the United States.

Read more about each of the Fulbright Scholars and this year’s LL.M. cohort here.

Originally published by Libbey Detcher at law.nd.edu on October 03, 2024.