Eight summer interns who beat the recession

The hands-on approach to criminal justice reform at International Bridges to Justice drew Akhila Kolisetty to the nonprofit's internship program in Geneva.

"We empower lawyers to protect the rights of people who have been thrown into prison arbitrarily, or mistreated in prison," says Kolisetty, who stresses the importance of the organization's work training lawyers and public defenders to serve in countries without stable legal systems.

But Kolisetty -- a political science major at Northwestern who's funded by the university this summer -- is also learning some business skills. She's putting her communications and marketing experience to work upgrading IBJ's website and advertising its social media platforms around the Internet. And though social justice work can be challenging, Kolisetty says IBJ's office culture makes her job not just worthwhile, but fun: "It's a young, laid-back, friendly, and open atmosphere."

NEXT: Teddy Vickers, age 24