Mara Blumenstein joined Beyond as a Masiyiwa-Bernstein Fellow following her graduation from NYU School of Law. Mara is passionate about dismantling the carceral system and supporting the people and communities most impacted by police and prisons. In law school, she participated in the Civil Rights in the Criminal Legal System and “Crimmigration” clinics. She has been especially focused on Clemency and Parole and Work, both through the Illinois Prison Project and NYU's Parole Advocacy Project. She hopes to use her law degree to increase access to legal tools and services in a way that is collaborative and liberatory, and to support activists in her Chicago community.

Prior to law school, Mara worked at Cabrini Green Legal Aid's Sealing and Expungement Help Desk in the Daley Center. She graduated from Carleton College where she studied urban politics and education. Mara loves swimming in Lake Michigan, hosting large Shabbat dinners, and Chicago's local music scene.