Student Staff Update: Christy Hurst

Although the past year went by as a whirlwind, the one constant that remained was God’s path for me that He never failed to whisper in my ear among the law-school chaos. I know that God has me in law school in order to be equipped to go out and do His bidding in the world. If I did not know the rules of property and contracts in the common law then I would be hard-pressed to discuss building the rule of law in any country. If I do not take criminal law then I would not be able to prosecute those who traffic or abuse innocent people for their own gain, or understand how to assess an illegal situation when I find one. However, among these classes I felt my passion and drive for human rights slowly slip away. What was the one thing that kept my eye on the goal? The Center for Global Justice.

The Center was the one thing that encouraged me, and when I accomplished something I finally felt like I was truly obeying God’s voice in my heart. I finally saw how everything I was learning could come together and give me the strengths I need to fight injustice and pursue what is Holy and Righteous. It was the catalyst that brought together the eccentricity of the legal education environment and the intense calling to fight for others. I saw their symbiotic relationship form as I used the tools I learned from researching in class to answer questions on how far one can reach to protect a trafficked woman without overstepping the legal system on which our country is founded. I battled with the concept of Constitutional freedom of speech while researching how to shut down websites that advertise prostitution and potentially trafficked girls. I was able to compare Thai anti-trafficking and prostitution law to our country’s law and realized that we are so blessed to be able to practice a law that was created to protect all life, and not just ones that are considered worthy of that protection. I was able to use my knowledge to give answers to non-profits, who sought the legal truths behind our current law. I fought through translation errors to understand citizen and residency laws in Thailand in order to find solutions for the outcast Hilltribe Citizens. I made a difference. All of this time and energy was not wasted. I can begin to see the fruit of my labor, and my heart is fulfilled.