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Lucia della Paolera

Lucia began working with African Services Committee in 2014 as a Spanish-English legal translator. Since July 2019 she has been working with her own client docket as a Department of Justice Accredited Representative. Beyond ASC, della Paolera is an artist and translator, working across music, performance, film and literature. She is also a Grant Writer, Translator and Special Projects Director for immigrant arts organization ID Studio in the South Bronx. She has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania (2010).

Emily Bishop

Emily is the Health Education Officer, responsible for promoting health literacy and self-management among African Services clients living with HIV and AIDS. She designs and delivers group and individual health education courses, and oversees the support services provided by peer navigators in conjunction with case management colleagues, to assist clients in overcoming barriers to their engagement in care.

Emily joined African Services after a fellowship at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she earned a Doctorate of Education in International Educational Development, with a dual concentration in African Education and International Humanitarian Issues and cross-disciplinary advisement in Sociomedical Sciences. Her dissertation research focused on the experiences and practices of women educators in delivering puberty education and promoting menstrual hygiene to girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Concurrently with her studies, her independent research work included evaluating community reproductive health services in Cotonou, Benin. Previously, she was a long-time communications consultant to the reproductive health program of the Women’s Refugee Commission, along with a diverse portfolio ranging from political campaigns to film festivals. Emily is an active volunteer, serving as Lead Clinic Escort for a women’s health facility in the Bronx, a Marathon Guide for athletes with disabilities, and a member of the Comparative and International Education Society’s Committee for Early Career Advancement. She holds an MSc in Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance from New York University’s Center for Global Affairs and a BA in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford in the UK. Originally from London and raised in Provence, Emily is bilingual in English and French and speaks conversational Spanish and German.

Jesse Rockoff

Jesse is a Law Fellow with funding generously provided by the Ford Foundation. He works on a variety of immigration legal matters for indigent clients, focusing in particular on the intersections of criminal justice, immigration, and detention systems for immigrants and their families.

Jesse holds a B.A. in Politics from Washington and Lee University and a law degree from New York University. In law school, Jesse served as a student advocate for two years in the Immigrant Rights Clinic and interned with The Bronx Defenders, Immigrant Defense Project, and Atlas:DIY. Prior to law school, Jesse was an immigration paralegal with Maggio + Kattar in Washington, D.C. Jesse is originally from New York and speaks English and Spanish.

Yuhanissu Godje

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is a paralegal in the Legal Services Program at African Services Committee working primarily with individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. She provides regular administrative assistance to both the attorneys and clients. Prior to joining African Services, Yuhanissu lives in Metz, France, where she worked as a medical assistant. Originally from Togo, Yuhanissu has lived in the Ghana, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, Germany, France, Algeria, and Belgium. She speaks English, French, Hausa, Ewe, as well as proficient Dutch and Arabic.