The Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD) is excited to welcome several new trainees to its preservice training program. This program aims to increase the number—and enhance the expertise—of individuals interested in integrating disability knowledge into their future careers and lives. Through the MCDD’s core programs and projects, trainees engage in a range of mentored experiential and educational activities.
Rabiatu Allie is a senior at Towson University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in public health. She developed an interest in health promotion and community engagement through her academic coursework and volunteer work at Elizabeth House in Laurel, Md. This experience sparked her passion for advocacy, leading her to an internship with the MCDD. During her internship, Rabiatu looks forward to gaining hands-on experience in public health research and learning more about developmental disabilities. After completing her undergraduate degree, Rabiatu plans to pursue a Master of Public Health in health policy and management. She aspires to become a public health consultant and advocate for an inclusive healthcare system.
Eryka Milanicz, a second-year law student at the University of Baltimore School of Law, earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Milanicz’s dedication to public interest law is deeply rooted in her work with children with disabilities. She served as an assistant teacher in Kennedy Krieger School Programs, where she supported inclusive classroom environments and tailored learning strategies to meet each student’s individual needs. Her first experience with Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law) was as an undergraduate trainee, assisting with client intakes, preparing case documents and collaborating with others to advance educational access for children with disabilities. Through her continued work with Project HEAL, she aims to combine her legal training with her passion for education and disability rights to help families navigate the special education process and gain access to resources.
Rianna Mukherjee is a third-year law student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and certificates in public policy, education policy and Asian American studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Mukherjee is passionate about education law and making the legal system more accessible to all people. She has interned with the Baltimore City Public Schools Office of Legal Counsel, the Maryland State Department of Education through the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, and the Honorable Chief Justice Matthew Fader on the Supreme Court of Maryland. Through the University of Maryland School of Law’s Youth, Education, and Justice Clinic, she has also represented a student in a school expulsion hearing and an incarcerated client in seeking parole.
Brittany Shields, a fourth-year law student at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Towson University. While in law school, she continued her work as a registered nurse, bringing a unique healthcare perspective to her legal studies. Shields is excited to gain hands-on experience supporting children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as their families, through Project HEAL’s medical-legal partnership with Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is interested in learning how legal and medical professionals can align to provide the best outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Her passion for advocacy is rooted in personal experience navigating services and systems on behalf of her own neurodivergent child with disabilities. This experience drives her belief in the power of advocacy, compassion and interdisciplinary collaboration to create meaningful change for children and families.