This month, we are excited to highlight our PhD student intern, Sarah Sowell Van Dyk. Sarah is a PhD student at Vanderbilt University in the Community Research and Action program, an interdisciplinary program with a focus on community-engaged research.
Throughout 2025, Sarah has been working with Eleison on multiple research projects. While at Eleison, Sarah has supported Eleison’s partnership with California Baptist University (CBU) to develop a photovoice education toolkit and has collaborated with our team on our photovoice project exploring the meaning of survivor leadership. Additionally, she has engaged in qualitative data analysis for Project Luwas, our joint research study with faculty at Arizona State University and the Ohio State University focusing on the development of an integrated intervention for addressing risk for both suicide and gender-based violence. This fall, Sarah is excited to support Eleison’s partnership with the University of Nottingham Rights Lab and International Justice Mission to examine community reliance on public justice systems for addressing online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) in the Philippines.
In discussing her experience at Eleison so far, Sarah shared that her work at Eleison has given her a deeper understanding of survivor-centered research and the anti-human trafficking movement. She explains:
“Working with Eleison has helped me understand how anti-human trafficking organizations can adopt a survivor-centered philosophy to guide both interventions and research. I’ve also gained a deeper appreciation for how anti-trafficking work varies by context, and learning more about Cebu and the Philippines has sparked my interest in contributing to long-term work in the region.”
According to Sarah, the best part about working with Eleison is getting to collaborate with a team who brings passion, knowledge, and diverse perspectives to their work. When asked her favorite thing about working with Eleison, she said:
“Definitely the team! As a researcher and student, I truly value the opportunity to collaborate with direct service providers, nonprofit leaders, university partners, and members of the Survivor Leadership Council. The perspectives they bring are incredibly insightful, and everyone is so kind, passionate, intelligent, and uniquely inspiring.”
Eleison is committed to providing a platform for graduate students to grow professionally and personally. Our internship program combines a unique balance of learning, mentorship, and hands-on experience. If you are a graduate student who is interested in an internship at Eleison, please reach out to us through info@eleisonfoundation.org or by sending us a message here.
