Mary Hampton Elam, '14

Mary Hampton Elam, '14

August 28, 2013
Senior works to address issues of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation

Rough neighborhoods filled with women in prostitution and dressing rooms of dark, crowded strip clubs are not places Mary Hampton Elam, ’14, ever envisioned going. Then she discovered NightLight International, an organization that works to address issues of commercial sexual exploitation, and saw an opportunity to live out her faith.

She applied for an internship with the organization and spent the summer mentoring and forming relationships with women working in seedy, unfamiliar places in Atlanta.

“The first time I walked into a dressing room I had no idea what to expect,” says Elam. “It was actually a really tough day in that particular club.”

Elam discovered NightLight International the summer before her junior year while interning in Thailand with micro-enterprise development organization Step Ahead, founded by John Quinley, ’79.  She visited NightLight’s founding branch in Bangkok. The leadership studies and psychology double major knew then that she wanted to apply to the organization to fulfill her Jepson internship requirement.

“I answered directly to the intervention director, who is responsible for all outreaches to known prostitution tracks, high prostitution neighborhoods, and strip clubs,” says Elam. She also had an opportunity to be a co-leader, which meant "discerning where the groups are supposed to go to minister, how to divide the group, and then managing the groups once we get to the street or clubs.”

A Robert L. Burrus Jr. Fellowship, a UR Summer Fellowship, helped make her dream of interning with the organization a reality. 

Elam says she sees subjects such as commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking through the lens of Justice and Civil Society, a course that is open to all students at the University and required for Jepson students and Bonner Scholars.

She first learned about social justice during high school in Nashville, Tenn., but her time at Richmond has given her plenty opportunities to get involved with issues related to social justice and learn even more. She joined Students Stopping the Trafficking of People (SSTOP) during her freshman year and served as president of the organization as a sophomore. She has also volunteered with two local organizations: Richmond Justice Initiative and The Gray Haven Project.

Given her interests and experiences, her plans after graduation come as no surprise.

“The current plan is to apply to graduate school for a master’s of social work with a license to counsel,” says Elam. “After that, I hope to open a coffee shop as a recovery and restoration center for women coming out of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation situations.”