Major: Neuroscience and Behavior
Minor: Human Rights Advocacy
What was the name of the organization you worked for over the summer?
CT Human Anti-Trafficking Response Team
What was your role and what did you work on?
During my time interning with the director of Connecticut’s Human Anti-Trafficking Response Team (HART), I played an integral role in researching and restructuring four mandatory human trafficking training modules for service professionals across the state. As part of this work, I became certified to train service providers and successfully trained 104 law enforcement officers. Additionally, I facilitated cross-sector communication with key stakeholders to ensure the updated training modules adhered to state regulations and professional standards, all while supporting survivor-centered initiatives. I also developed a monthly newsletter, distributed to approximately 1,000 recipients, which highlighted various anti-trafficking training topics. Throughout this process, I had the opportunity to shadow the HART Director at multidisciplinary team meetings, where we focused on case management for child trafficking cases across Connecticut.
What was a highlight of your experience?
My proudest moment was when the director gave me the chance to co-train a group of law enforcement officers with our Labor Trafficking curriculum. It felt like the result of months of hard work, where I really dug into understanding the anti-trafficking work happening in Connecticut. I drew on both my past experience and the new knowledge I had gained to highlight the issues around child labor trafficking. I was nervous at first, since officers can be a tough crowd to train, but I spoke confidently and ended up doing so well that the Director of the HART program certified me to give the training to all public service providers in the state.
How did your summer experience impact you?
This summer was such an incredible experience for me. I came in with the goal of understanding how anti-trafficking work is done in Connecticut, and I definitely achieved that. I learned so much about how federal laws, like the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), are applied and implemented at the state level. The program director gave me the chance to be right in the middle of the state’s trafficking response efforts, and the work I did will have a long-term impact on the program. This experience has made me feel more confident than ever in my decision to pursue a career in fighting human trafficking.
