Bio
Emily Fong joined ACLU of Hawaiʻi as an Executive Fellow to pursue her passion for civil rights advocacy and develop her legal nonprofit leadership skills, with the dream of establishing a legal nonprofit to serve her hometown community on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. She is a proud graduate of William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she served as president of the Advocates for Public Interest Law student organization. As president of Advocates for Public Interest Law, Emily sought to encourage peers to pursue careers in public interest by hosting panels with local public interest attorneys and offering resources to peers who were similarly passionate about serving their community.
During law school, Emily worked as a law clerk for the Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission. There, she expanded her knowledge of civil rights law and gained insight into the most prevalent civil rights issues in Hawaiʻi. Emily also participated in the Hawaiʻi Innocence Project Clinic, assisting factually innocent individuals who had been wrongfully convicted. As an intern for the local nonprofit Project Expedite Justice, she also brings two years of experience with international human rights law.
Born and raised in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, Emily received her B.A. in Philosophy and a minor in American Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Emily enjoys spending her free time knitting, running, and with her friends, family, and pets.