Carli Pierson is a multi-lingual New York licensed attorney, former professor of human rights law and Opinion writer at USA TODAY. She was the first person in the U.S. to receive a BA in Islamic World Studies from DePaul University in 2006, and in 2012, received her JD from Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad Law Center, cum laude, with a concentration in international law.  Carli's work has appeared in: USA Today, Democracy First, Al Jazeera, PBS, Independent UK, National Catholic Reporter, Parents, Romper, and the Women News Network.  Between 2015-2020 she worked as a freelance writer and taught international human rights law at the Autonomous University of Campeche (Universidad Autonoma de Campeche), and the Tecnológico de Monterrey, in Mexico City. In 2015, Carli authored an article on the proliferation of human rights instruments and the relativity of their application in the book edited by M. Cherif Bassiouni, "Globalization and its impact on the future of human rights and international criminal justice". Before law school, Carli worked at South Florida's WSVN-7NEWS, Miami's 103.5 The Beat, CNN's Chicago bureau and Radio Islam, in Chicago.