Here is a small introduction to each of the fellows.
Shana Judge, Graduate Student, sjudge@email.unc.edu
Establishment of an arrest record database to facilitate research on sex trafficking
A doctoral candidate in Public Policy, Shana will establish a database of prostitution incident reports and related police and court records from selected counties in North Carolina. She will also create an institutional mechanism for maintaining the database. Researchers and other interested individuals may then analyze the data for patterns and trends in prostitution enforcement and for indicators of sex trafficking, with the goal of informing related law enforcement efforts and policymaking. Shana will work with her faculty mentor, Carolina Women’s Center Director Donna Bickford, and her community partner, RIPPLE, which is a coalition of professionals from multiple fields who work to raise awareness about human trafficking across North Carolina, to support efforts to prosecute traffickers, and to identify and assist victims.
April Parker, Graduate Student, asadams@email.unc.edu
Educational attainment goals and barriers of adolescent African-American mothers in a rural NC
A Master of Social Work, Direct Practice concentration student, April will conduct a qualitative pilot study to investigate the internal and external barriers to educational attainment for African American teenage mothers in a rural North Carolina County. Results of the pilot study will provide a foundation for a more intensive study with a larger sample size and lead to an intervention designed to help these mothers achieve their educational goals and delay secondary pregnancies. April’s community partner is the Columbus County Health Department and her faculty mentor is Martha J. Cox, Ph.D.
Alexis Seccombe, Graduate Student, salexis@email.unc.edu
A pilot study microfinance program for the homeless in Durham
A doctoral candidate in Comparative Literature, Alexis will use her fellowship to help the Community Empowerment Fund start a micro-finance program in Durham. The Community Empowerment Fund, a UNC student-run organization, currently offers loans, a savings program, small business training and financial literacy education to those that are homeless or at-risk of being homeless in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area. In Durham, Alexis will teach small business trainings at homeless shelters andlow-income housing complexes. She will also be forging community partnerships with university students, non-profits, and government agencies that will help launch a savings and loan program in the fall.
Liz McInerney, Undergraduate, myelizab@email.unc.edu
Forgotten voices: the effects of domestic violence on children
A senior Psychology major, Liz will partner with the Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County to create a sustainable children's group: Forgotten Voices. This 8 week program will help to develop coping skills in child witnesses of domestic violence and will address the issues of respect, assertiveness, self esteem, feelings, families, safety planning, abuse, anger, grief, and choices. Referrals will come from local schools and social services.
