Madison Balasek
Loyola Genocide Justice Clinic
Madison Balasek led her LGJC project team compiling a full brief to the European Court of Human Rights in a case involving Ukrainian victims of Russia’s war with coolheaded passion. Never one to claim the spotlight for herself, she remained calm under pressure, never shied away from a challenge, was always there for her teammates and clinic colleagues, and brought a sense of groundedness to complex, challenging work. In the words of one of her colleagues, she is a “levelheaded problem solver who can take on even the most chaotic cases with great poise.” Madison has a bright future ahead and the LGJC is proud to nominate her for the 2023 Outstanding Clinic Student Award. “As I reflect on my past three years at Loyola, working with LGJC was one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences in my law school career,” she says. “I am grateful for the collaboration and support from my colleagues Emily Bernstein and Catherine Schiff, and the invaluable guidance from our supervising professor, Rajika Shah, and our lead international human rights attorney, Olena Protsenko.”