Brittan Heller

Brittan Heller

Human Rights Attorney


You start off with conviction, something that grabs you. You're not sure what the picture is going to look like in the beginning phases, but as you proceed, you gain speed and suddenly you see the picture start to form.

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Brittan Heller

Milestones

My road in life has taken me all over.
Started down her path when she visited the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
The museum has visitors follow the journey of a child through the Holocaust; the child Brittan got shared her last name.
Started to realize that behind every atrocity, there are individual people, not just numbers; felt incredibly weighty.
Went to law school with the intention of becoming a human rights lawyer, did her fellowships in Korea and Afghanistan
Says there are two ways to think about your career: "paint-by-numbers" or "connect the dots."
"Paint-by-numbers": You know what you want to do, you take a drawn-out set of steps to reach an end goal.
"Connect-the-dots": Start with one interest or idea, then take the next step, without knowing what the final outcome will be.
Says she's chosen the "connect-the-dots" method and it's been the right choice, her picture is continually developing.
Keep following my journey

Career

Human Rights Attorney

I am a prosecutor who specializes in domestic prosecutions of international human rights abuses.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Law
Politics
Helping People

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for everyone

When it comes to your career, there are two approaches: paint by numbers or connect the dots. The paint by numbers approach is often the path of least resistance. I prefer the connect the dots way because it give you the freedom to make choices, changes, and failures in order to build your future. With justice, it is a process, not a product. Choose the approach that works best for you and follow it.

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Peers:

"You have to do "x" if you want to do "y". "

Interviewed By

Connecting the Dots

Connecting the Dots

In Washington D.C., the road-trippers interview human rights attorney Brittan Heller who speaks about "connecting the dots" of one's inklings instead of forcing life into a direction. Later, in Philadelphia, the team speaks to race car mechanic Sal Donato before interviewing Christine Borelli and Stacey Cruise, two educators who worked to revitalize a crime-ridden school.