Shae Heitz

Shae Heitz is an international human rights advocate and graduate from the University of Connecticut School of Law where she obtained a Juris Doctor and Certificate in Human Rights. Currently, her work focuses on law and policy, women’s rights, conflict resolution, and forced migration. At UConn Law, Shae served as President of the Human Rights Law Association, where she worked to build community connections with local human rights organizations. As Chapter Director of the UConn Law International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and UConn Law Asylum and Human Rights Clinic fellow, Shae worked with refugees from across the Middle East and North Africa. Shae has also worked with refugees in Jordan, where she completed UNHCR refugee resettlement referrals, and Poland, where she provided immediate aid and support through small–NGOs.

Previously, Shae has interned with the U.S. Department of Justice, Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section. She also served as a visiting Postgraduate Fellow at the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham in England, where she researched the intersection of forced migration and modern slavery. Currently, Shae is an intern with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, where she works to help strengthen the integrity of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Most recently, Shae served as a U.S. Delegate at the 2024 Global Youth Migration Forum, co-hosted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNICEF.

Prior to starting law school, Shae received a Masters of Science in International Relations from Troy University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Boston College.