Student Internship Combats Human Trafficking

This summer rising junior Lauren “Loey” Allen is working for a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. with a mission of ending human trafficking. With funding from Duke Chapel as this year’s Hall Award recipient, Allen is assisting with analysis and management of reports from anti-trafficking programs run by the International Justice Mission (IJM).

“IJM’s victim-centered and trauma-informed approach, as well as their method of creating sustainable change, inspire me to commit my talents and passions to their work in a professional capacity,” said Allen, a psychology major who is pursuing a certificate in child policy research. “Not only does my passion for their mission propel me toward their work, but so does their Christian foundation.”

The Chapel’s Betty and Bob Hall Award supports students’ participation in Christian-related service projects. A student selected for the award can receive up to $4,000 in funding for service work during the summer.

"In her application, Loey beautifully articulates how her religious commitments and her summer work not only connect but also how they strengthen and enliven each other," said the Rev. Kathryn Lester-Bacon, the Chapel's director of Religious Life. "We are excited to support a Duke student as they build bridges between their purpose and their faith."

Allen said that the internship is helping her to grow professional and spiritually.

“This internship is both vocationally and personally meaningful,” said Allen, who is a Chapel Scholar and a member of the Cru campus ministry at Duke. “As ambassadors of Christ, we are called to humbly respond by being agents of peace, justice, and compassion in this world.”