Meet FFRF’s 2026 summer interns
FFRF’s student summer interns are, from left, Paul Wuller, Tira Alvarez, Ellen Gaul, Trinity MacArthur and Emma Hanson.
Each summer, FFRF hires graduate and undergraduate students to work throughout the summer as interns. This year, FFRF hired five students to work in the legal department. Here’s a look at this year’s team of interns.
Tira Alvarez
Hometown: Basking Ridge, N.J.
Undergrad school: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Grad school: University of Wisconsin Law School.
Why did you want to intern at FFRF?: I wanted to work at FFRF this summer because I wanted to get experience doing First Amendment impact litigation. I came to law school to work on constitutional issues, and FFRF has such an important purpose in that space. The staff’s excitement about their work gave me even more of a reason to want to spend my summer here.
What’s your favorite part about working here?: It’s the incredible culture at our office. It has made the work so engaging and exciting. Everyone is collectively working together on various church/state issues and, at the end of each day, I feel confident that our work is paving the way for change.
Career goals: I’d like to work on issues related to election and voting policy. This has been my area of interest since starting undergrad at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I would like to end up in a position where I can work on issues related to civil rights and liberties so that I can continue to try to make a difference in our community.
Something interesting about you: I have a sourdough starter that I began right before coming to law school. Since then, I have shared my starter with multiple law students and coworkers. During the rest of law school, I hope to share my starter with even more students and friends so that everyone can experience the joy of making sourdough bread.
Ellen Gaul
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Undergrad school: Cornell.
Grad school: University of Wisconsin Law School
Why did you want to intern at FFRF?: Growing up, the idea that state and church were meant to be separate was never something that I questioned — it made (and continues to make) complete sense. As I have gotten older, I have realized that this was not what everyone was taught and that this separation is something that needs to be actively protected.
What’s your favorite part about working here?: Everyone who works here is really nice and really passionate about the work they are doing.
Career goals: I want to work in civil rights law or in government.
Something interesting about you: In high school, I was part of a steel drum band!
Emma Hanson
Hometown: Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Undergrad school: St. Norbert College.
Grad school: University of Wisconsin Law School.
Why did you want to intern at FFRF?: Growing up nonreligious, I didn’t think much about religion until I attended St. Norbert College, a Catholic college, where I was required to take multiple theology courses. I was shocked by how much I enjoyed exploring theological concepts from an academic perspective and was fortunate enough to take both Black Theology and Queer Theology courses. However, these courses were enjoyable because they were purely academic, largely encouraging students to understand why religious individuals believe what they do, rather than pushing students to believe a specific religious ideology. During law school, my legal interests in the First Amendment meshed with my strong belief that genuine religious (or nonreligious) beliefs cannot be developed when specific ideas are pushed on a person, leading me to develop a strong interest in the separation of church and state. Interning at FFRF has allowed me to combine my personal and legal interests and support important Establishment Clause work.
What’s your favorite part about working here?: The work environment is incredibly collaborative, and I feel comfortable asking any of the attorneys for help or advice.
Career goals: I would like to work at either a nonprofit organization involved in constitutional litigation or for a plaintiff-side litigation firm.
Something interesting about you: I do a lot of creative writing and am currently writing my first book.
Trinity MacArthur
Hometown: Bailey, Colo.
Undergrad school: University of Colorado Boulder.
Grad school: Penn State Dickinson Law.
Why did you want to intern at FFRF?: I love working with the standards for religious liberty and wanted to have the opportunity to have an impact in the area.
What’s your favorite part about working here?: Getting to see all the unique ways the attorneys here work with the First Amendment.
Career goals: I’d like to work in civil rights and civil liberties for an organization such as the ACLU.
Something interesting about you: I can do a split.
Paul Wuller
Hometown: Dallas.
Undergrad school: Southern Methodist University.
Why did you want to intern at FFRF?: Ever since I left Christianity in high school, I realized the impact that indoctrination and social pressure had on me and my life. As a Texan, I see the Christian nationalist agenda being pushed daily in our government and schools. I want to fight to make sure our government stays neutral and no one, regardless of their religious beliefs, is coerced, targeted or neglected by the government. As the premier state/church group, FFRF felt like a perfect fit for me to help combat the false narrative being promoted in many states such as my own.
What’s your favorite part about working here?: The people here are amazing and all care deeply about state/church separation. I enjoy working on a cause that I am passionate about with like-minded freethinkers.
Career goals: I plan to attend law school and then continue working in the secular movement.
Something interesting about you: I can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 16 seconds.
