The Student Pro Bono Committee (SPBC) Team

Annika Melwani
Co-Executive Chair

Hey everyone! My name is Annika, and I will be executive co-chair alongside Sedef. Our job is to oversee the committee and take charge of the SPBC's activities for the upcoming academic year.  

The SPBC has two key goals: keeping UCL Laws students up to date on pro bono opportunities offered by the CAJ and other pro bono organisations, and being an avenue through which law students can learn more about careers in the public interest sector. We also fundraise for UCL’s Integrated Legal Advice Clinic!

With this in mind, my biggest goals for this year are to expand the reach of our advertising (we now have a LinkedIn and are setting up a TikTok!), and to plan events through which our peers can learn about the diverse range of legal careers. Feel free to contact me via email with any questions!  

Fun fact: I'm double jointed!  

Email: annika.melwani.21@ucl.ac.uk 

Sedef Kalkavan
Co-Executive Chair 
Hey everyone, I’m Sedef and I will be one of the executive chairs of SPBC this year. I am heading into my final year in LLB Laws! As one of the executive chairs, my aim this year is to make pro bono opportunities as visible as possible for students, reach and cater to a wide audience, and collaborate with various other student organisations and faculty to increase awareness. In the commercially inclined space of UCL, and especially UCL Laws, I want to emphasise the importance of pro bono and showcase different routes of helping people.

Fun fact: Spotify playlists are my love language.

Email: mukaddes.kalkavan.21@ucl.ac.uk 

Hazel Wun
Social Media and Campaigns Officer
Hi everyone, my name is Hazel and I’m the Social Media and Campaigns Officer for SPBC this year. Having volunteered at Southwark Pensioners Centre throughout my first year I was able to witness the positive impact of pro bono. Therefore, I wanted to be involved with UCL affairs this year in encouraging more students to participate in various SPBC-run events. I have many great ideas to transform the communication between us as the committee with students, and I hope to see more engagement in the coming months! 

Fun fact: I love karaoke.

Email: hazel.wun.22@ucl.ac.uk 

Alice Hayverova 
Careers and LinkedIn Officer
Hi, my name is Alice and I’m an incoming third year LLB student. As Careers and LinkedIn Officer this year, I’m excited to continue expanding our range of informative events, as well as developing our LinkedIn presence to continue fostering pro bono participation in the UCL Laws community. See you at our events and make sure to follow us on our LinkedIn (UCL CAJ Student Pro Bono Committee) and Instagram (@uclprobono) for updates and opportunities. Looking forward to working together with our lovely committee!

Fun fact: In my free time, I enjoy reading and taking long walks in nature.

Email: alice.hayverova.21@ucl.ac.uk 

Toni McCammon 
Careers Officer
I’m Toni, and I’m going to be one of the upcoming Careers Officers for the SPBC. I’m excited to continue my time working with this committee, especially after such a wonderful year! A huge goal for SPBC this year is to spotlight the occupational side to it, as it is often under-explored at UCL. I’m especially excited to help people see the many areas and niches within pro bono, and allow them to widen their horizons around the law. Pro bono is a massive light within the Laws department, and I hope to continue to let it grow and shine in the upcoming year.

Fun fact: I grew up speaking English, German and Dutch interchangeably because I thought they were all the same language!

Email: antonia.mccammon.22@ucl.ac.uk 

Ci Heng Tan
Publications Officer
Hi everyone! My name is Ci Heng, and I am an incoming second-year LLB student. I will be serving as the Publications Officer for the SPBC in the coming year. I aim to amplify the reach of the CAJ blog by working closely with the Publications Committees of other student-led projects. By showcasing our efforts I hope that more of our peers will be encouraged to contribute to the meaningful work we do.

Fun fact: I am a bubble tea addict and can sometimes drink up to two cups a day.

Email: skye.tan.22@ucl.ac.uk 

Auhona Majumdar 
Publications Officer and Contributor
Hello everyone! I am Auhona, an incoming third year and one of the Publications Editors and Contributors this year. I am thrilled to be aiding the Centre for Access to Justice's efforts in leading the way towards quantitative change—even as a students. In my role, I shall be engaging the student body through publications on current affairs with a focus on contemporary challenges to human rights on the CAJ Blog. Furthermore, I hope to expand the reach of the publications team beyond merely written publications to podcasts and intra-departmental competitions. Do look out for the amazing work of the Publications Team and student contributors on the CAJ Blog!

Fun fact: I pickled a lot of vegetables over the summer.

Email: auhona.majumdar.21@ucl.ac.uk 

Alexandra Thacker
Publications Editor and Contributor
Hi everyone! I’m Alexandra and I’m a final year student. As a member of the publications team, I’ll be writing articles for the Access to Justice blog discussing current social justice issues as well as keeping you updated on pro bono events throughout the year. For me, doing pro bono work to increase access to justice is incredibly important, especially in our current political and economic climate, and bringing awareness to these issues is the first step to finding solutions. Through my articles I hope to help provoke more conversations around social justice, with a focus on issues affecting women’s rights, which is a particular interest of mine.

Fun fact: In my spare time, I like to go shopping for vintage and second-hand clothes.

Email: alexandra.thacker.21@ucl.ac.uk 

Taruniga Thambiayah
Publications Editor and Contributor
Hi all, I'm Taruniga and I'm one of your Publications Editors and Contributors. Currently an incoming final year student, I'm deeply enthusiastic about volunteering, particularly in pro bono clinics. My goal is to improve the fundamental legal literacy of all individuals. Having knowledge about the law and its impact on individual rights is essential for achieving genuine justice. I'm hopeful that the articles we curate for the Access to Justice Blog will not only capture your interest but also motivate you to take more initiative for both yourself and those around you. Additionally, I will be taking on the role of Head of Print Publications for the Lawyers without Borders Student Division at UCL. I'm looking forward to the potential for exciting collaborations throughout the upcoming year!

Fun fact: I share my birthday with Tom Hanks and O.J. Simpson. Feel free to take a guess at what that might say about my personality! 

Email: taruniga.thambiayah.21@ucl.ac.uk 

Hi, I’m Jason, one of the Fundraising and Event Management Officers for SPBC this year! Driven by my experience working in iLAC and other legal advice agencies, I joined SPBC with the hope of mobilising more students to help alleviate the crisis of access to justice. At the same time, I’m also interested in environmental law and enjoy listening to different perspectives on contentious issues, such as the relevance of international law to mitigating climate change. As the First Year Representative last year, I was thrilled by the impact of our events and the support we gathered for worthy causes. I hope to continue promoting the influence of pro bono in the UCL community, together with other members of SPBC and everyone who wish to explore how laws and lawyers may contribute to the society in a better way.

Fun fact: Once on a road trip my dad and I were thought to be siblings by others at the beginning.

Email: j.huang.22@ucl.ac.uk 

Hi, I’m Andie and I’m a second year LLB student. This year, I’m going to be one of the Fundraising and Event Management Officers. I’m so excited to work alongside Jason to organise fun and exciting events. My main goal is for all of our events to be unique, interesting and enjoyable and therefore raise as much money as possible for social justice causes, as well as raising awareness about the importance of pro bono. 

Fun fact: When I was 13 I was detained by David Beckham’s security team.

Email: andriana.anacreonte.22@ucl.ac.uk