This summer Courtney Green, Drayton Cullen, and Natalie Chevrel will be joining the 21Wilberforce team as associates. The 21Wilberforce Associate program provides undergraduate and graduate students with exceptional opportunities to deepen their understanding of international religious freedom and develop their leadership abilities. These associates will play a key role in implementing 21Wilberforce’s Emerging Leaders training programs, grassroots empowerment, and advocacy initiatives for those facing persecution for their beliefs.
Courtney just graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. Political Science and will be attending law school in the fall. “Interning with 21Wilberforce will provide me with a deeper perspective on what it looks like to defend religious freedom and promote justice for all people, both on an American and global scale. Furthermore, experience as a Summer Associate will provide invaluable grounding as I head into law school in the fall, reminding me of the telos towards which all my law school studies ought to be oriented.”
Drayton is a Master of Global Policy Studies student at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Policy in Austin, Texas. “Working for 21Wilberforce provides me with the opportunity to strive for global positive change. It is an incredible and humbling experience to participate in working to break the chains of religious persecution and to promote religious freedom in societies and cultures around the world.”
Natalie is majoring in International Affairs and Political Science with a minor in Religion, in the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University. “21Wilberforce’s mission to empower and protect persecuted communities around the world is one I passionately want to support. The freedom of religion and belief is increasingly being violated, and we all must play a part in defending this fundamental human right.”
The 21Wilberforce Associates program helps participants leverage their academic skills and gain professional experience in advocacy, awareness, and capacity building. Previous Associates have been advocates on Capitol Hill, researched critical policy questions, represented the organization at conferences, organized logistics, collaborated with other NGOs, attended congressional hearings, built databases, and participated in “days in the city” where they toured and experienced cultural and historic environments in Washington D.C.