By: Lauryn Eason
I chose Regent Law School because of the Center for Global Justice. Specifically, because of the opportunities and partnerships it had with organizations I could only dream of working for someday. As a first-year law student, I often found myself praying that the CGJ would one day have a staff position for a recent graduate – someone who could stay, build upon the foundation already laid, and help steward its incredible potential.
Little did I know that, just a few years later, I would become the first person to fill that role from 2024-2026.
I spent the first part of my fellowship in Uganda working alongside the Ugandan government and an NGO called Human Trafficking Institute to build capacity for locals in human trafficking and child sacrifice prosecutions. Right out of law school, I got to live out a dream I had carried long before I ever took the LSAT – advocating internationally for vulnerable people. While I was in Uganda, I experienced both the beauty and complexity of international human rights and criminal justice work, learning what it truly takes to sustain a program in a cross-cultural context. But perhaps the most valuable lesson was discovering what it takes to preserve my soul and physical health while doing this kind of work. Justice work requires more than knowledge and passion—it requires wisdom, healthy boundaries, discernment, deep dependence on God, and the humility to recognize that you cannot carry the weight of the world’s brokenness on your own.
When I came back from Uganda, I transitioned to an on-campus Fellowship position in Virginia Beach. Working within the CGJ, especially during the first three years of our Human Trafficking Clinic, gave me a framework for understanding grassroots advocacy and a front-row seat to what it actually looks like to build something from the ground up.
The last two years were a peek behind-the-scenes to the way God works all things together to bring His justice from heaven to earth. I assure you that He cares more about this work than we ever could. Throughout my Fellowship, I watched adversaries slowly become allies. I watched prosecutors, service providers, churches, legislators, and law enforcement break out of silos, learn to trust one another, and pursue a common goal. I saw spiritual warfare play out in real time inside actual courtrooms. But most of all, I watched God advocate for His Beloved and fill gaps in ways that the CGJ alone could not.
As the first person to occupy the on-campus Fellow position, I have had a unique opportunity to shape the trajectory of the CGJ by creating and maintaining systems that will allow the work we do to surpass my tenure. My work has been administrative, legal, and deeply ministerial. Throughout my Fellowship, I participated in legislative advocacy (including successful two back-to-back expansions of the vacatur law), client casework, donor engagement, intern preparation, church and service-provider partnerships, communications strategy, fundraising, and administrative development. I helped build systems for student onboarding and internship preparation, expanded the Center’s digital presence, developed new data tracking processes, strengthened donor communications, and created resources that will continue serving the Center long after my fellowship concludes.
This position has allowed me to deepen my understanding of trafficking dynamics and work closely with various stakeholders such as law enforcement, survivors and lived experience experts, service providers, and political officials. I gained a firsthand education in grassroots advocacy. It took me time to understand the framework—how relationships, coalitions, policy, education, storytelling, and persistence all fit together. Advocacy is rarely a single moment or legislative victory; it is the steady work of laying one brick at a time. Just as importantly, I learned where my strengths end. I discovered areas where I am not naturally gifted, learned to recognize my limits, and grew in humility. In many ways, the last two years have shaped me more personally than any season of my recent life.
It has been amazing to watch the Center grow as God has brought the right people at the right time, and to witness the momentum that has built over these last two years – largely thanks to Meg and her incredible vision and commitment to surrendering the work of the CGJ back to God. He is the one who sustains us.
As a recent graduate, I have been surrounded by mentors who are invested, peers who are equally passionate, and students who look up to me that I get to pour into and disciple. I have had a backstage view of how God is weaving a prophetic tapestry and equipping laborers to send them out into the harvest. The future of this work is bright and watching the next generation of Christian human rights advocates come alive in it brings me to tears. One of the greatest gifts of this fellowship was watching the Center grow from a small but faithful part of the Law School into an organization with expanding partnerships, growing influence, and an increasingly sustainable foundation for the future.
Trafficking and exploitation attack the very soul of a person — their dignity, their identity as one made in the image of God. This work is spiritual. The CGJ has equipped me to understand that, to carry it, and to contend for justice in both the physical and spiritual realms. I will always be grateful to Regent Law, the Center for Global Justice, and especially to Meg Kelsey for entrusting me with this opportunity. Serving as the CGJ’s first On-Campus Fellow has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I leave with immense gratitude for all that God has done and with great anticipation for all that is still to come!
This post was written by a post-graduate fellow at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.