Every semester, new interns come to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE). They come from broad backgrounds and fields of interest, but all come to learn and to take part in the national movement to defend human dignity.
Internships at NCOSE provide energetic and highly motivated individuals the opportunity to address issues of sexual exploitation while gaining new skills through hands-on opportunities that seek to prevent exploitation before it begins, and which foster a national culture that stands for freedom from sexual exploitation. Interns also enjoy abundant opportunities to meet nationally recognized leaders in the field of anti-sexual exploitation, and attend education briefings.
We are proud to introduce our 2022 Fall intern class:
Kaitlyn Maker is an intern for the Law Center at NCOSE. She grew up in Sterling, Colorado and attended Oklahoma Christian University where she received dual degrees in Political Science and Vocational Ministry. She is now a second-year law student at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. After law school, she would like to work as an attorney advocating on behalf of victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
“The opportunity to work with NCOSE has allowed me to begin fulfilling this dream of seeing a world where people are lifted from darkness into a place of freedom and joy,” she said.
“I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with NCOSE and join the fight in ending sexual exploitation. I am looking forward to working alongside the NCOSE attorneys and learning from their expertise. I hope to learn how to be a fierce advocate for those who have suffered from sexual exploitation, while also working to bring awareness to the general public of the harms caused by pornography and sexual exploitation.”
Ming Zhou is originally from Chengdu, China, and graduated from Sichuan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Labor and Social Security. Ming is a second-year graduate student in Public Policy at Georgetown University. She strongly desires to blend her background in labor economics with her passion for gender policy and economic policy. Previously, she worked as a marketing assistant and HR assistant in the private sector in China. During the summer of 2022, Ming worked as a Program Coordinator in the ARCHES program at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. She is proficient in quantitative research with R & Stata and applying R to visualize. Ming is excited to join the NCOSE’s research team and hopes to gain more experience in qualitative research using new software.
Abigail Hills is a graduate student, marketing professional, advocate for women’s self-confidence, and current Miss New Mexico US. She has been an anti-human trafficking advocate in both New Mexico and Mexico for years; conducting research, working toward passing local legislation, as well as participating in awareness efforts. She has been drawn to the work of anti-sexual exploitation because she believes everyone, regardless of the brokenness they may have walked through, deserves the chance to live out their God-given dreams. She is looking forward to helping to pass the Device Filter Bill in several states, as well as being a support for the Public Policy Team in their federal legislative efforts.
Melissa Heard is a senior at Brigham Young University studying political science and global development. She is passionate about solving issues of sexual exploitation and is currently writing her thesis on sexual misconduct in ultra-orthodox Israeli communities. After graduation, she plans on working in the political and policymaking space before attending law school. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing tennis, and exploring her new home in Washington DC.
