Congratulations to Jalyn for being selected as Public Administration and Policy’s April MPA Student of the Month!

Jalyn is graduating from the MPA program this May. As a Double Dawg, she earned her Bachelor’s in History with Minors in Spanish and Law, Jurisprudence and the State this past December. This past fall, Jalyn also completed the Professional Skills Program through the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. She will be continuing her education through law school in August.

Born is St. Augustine, Florida and raised in Cairo, Georgia, Jalyn learned the value of community service and servant leadership through the school and church outreach programs. When multiple hurricanes swept through her small town during her senior year of high school, she proudly took part in community efforts to recover from the storms. The lessons of kindness, selflessness, and commitment she took away from this experience has propelled her into a life of public service.

Jalyn’s passion for public service is now focused around public policy, primarily policy aimed at human trafficking and immigration. While an undergraduate, she founded a chapter of International Justice Mission at the University of Georgia. This organization supports a larger nonprofit combatting human trafficking and violence against women and children globally. Jalyn has led the club in Congressional letter writing campaigns, fundraisers, and advocacy campaigns. This past summer, she led the development for new advocacy training in order to equip students on college campuses nationally with tools and background knowledge necessary to raise awareness about human trafficking.

Jalyn is continuously pursuing this interest through the MPA program by conducting research on the implementation of the Human Trafficking Act of 2000, the effectiveness of nonprofit fundraising campaigns, and the intersections of human trafficking with a variety of public issues such as climate change, immigration, and language education.

Jalyn is currently working at the Jackson County Probate Court as a Deputy Clerk. She initially started as an intern in the Summer of 2022, but upon the completion of her internship, she was offered the full-time position. This work is rewarding in that Jalyn is able to see the effect that quality public service can have in people’s everyday lives. She aims to continue creating a positive impact through her work in the legal field, prosecuting traffickers, advocating for survivors, and improving justice systems handling these cases.

Congrats, Jalyn. We look forward to celebrating graduation with you in May and seeing how you use your MPA to leave a mark on the world!