Ozanam Scholar Learns How to Change the World While
Following Her Passion
Being part of St. John’s Ozanam Scholars Program is enabling
Patricia Batchelor ‘11C to transform her
commitment to help others into concrete realities. Most recently,
she was chosen to present her senior-year, capstone project on
human trafficking at the prestigious American Professional Society on the
Abuse of Children (APSAC) 2011 colloquium in Philadelphia this
summer.
“I am thrilled and excited at the prospect of being able to
share my work with experts in the field,” she said. Patricia is
also looking forward to sparking more interest in human trafficking
abuses, as well as making important professional contacts at the
conference.
According to
Elissa Brown, Ph.D., Director of St. John’s PARTNERS
Program, it is unusual for an undergraduate to present her work at
such a high-level professional conference. “It’s an honor to have a
student who is such a lightning bolt of energy pass through my life
and to feel that I may have had something to do with her
achievements,” said Dr. Brown, Patricia’s capstone mentor.
The Ozanam Program’s fusion of local and global travel,
academic service-learning and solution-oriented community research
as well as Patricia’s strong foundation in psychology are paving
the way for the clinical
psychology major to be able to pursue a career helping
trafficking victims rebuild their lives.
Patricia is particularly grateful to the Ozanam Program for
reigniting her zeal to provide mental health services to human
trafficking casualties. This calling first took root when she saw a
movie on trafficking in high school. “I got all fired up. I knew I
wanted to help these people,” she said. This passion resurfaced
last year when she had to choose a topic for her Independent
Research Study (IRS) project. She decided to do her study — which
subsequently turned into her senior-year capstone project — on how
trafficking impacts its victims.
“The parts continue to fit together for me at St. John’s,” said
Patricia. Not only did her capstone project catch fire under Dr.
Brown’s mentoring, but through her service with PARTNERS, Patricia
has been gaining invaluable experience helping people who have
suffered the trauma of domestic abuse. She is also learning about
the protocols for human research which she will need to know as she
pursues her career plans.
“Trish is an inspiration,” said Dr. Brown. “Our partnership is a
gift to both of us. She is talented, smart, compassionate and so
driven that I have no doubt that she will go on to raise awareness
about trafficking and will make a real difference.” She praised her
mentee’s ability to take responsibility for her projects. “My role
as mentor, has been to support these ambitious efforts,” she
said.
Through the Ozanam Program, Patricia has also been assigned to
such service sites as nursing homes, homeless shelters, the
University’s
After School All Stars Program and its
Advantage Academy. In addition, she has profited from the many
Global Studies
opportunities she has had at St. John’s. She has lived, studied and
served in Vietnam, Paris, Rome and New Orleans. These experiences
heightened her awareness of the universality of social injustice
and of cultural differences.
“When I applied to St. John’s, I was so happy when I read
the description of the Ozanam Scholars Program,” she said. “It fit
me like a glove. My parents and I recognized it held the promise
of unequaled opportunities and we were right.”
Before pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology, Patricia
will apply for a position with a national or international human
trafficking organization to gain a deeper understanding of the
issue. Her ultimate goal, she explained, is “to help expand the far
too small number of clinical psychologists dedicated to helping
trafficking survivors.”