I study at NYU Silver School of Social Work which places students within the social work field to gain hands-on experience before graduating. I was placed in January 2019 at Sanctuary for Families, within the agency’s program Justice and Empowerment for Teens (JET) Initiative, which services young adult survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and/or sex trafficking. Before being placed at Sanctuary for Families, I was unaware about the prevalence and complexity of the commercial sex trade within the United States. Over the course of one year, I gained extensive knowledge about it through working directly with survivors, reading the related literature, and attending panel events. I am now a member of New Yorkers for the Equality Model (NY4EM) - a New York-based alliance of cross-sector organizations, sex trade survivors, and community members who advocate for the Equality Model. The Equality Model calls for the decriminalization of people bought/sold in the sex trade, while continuing to hold sex buyers and third-party profiteers accountable for the lifelong harm their actions cause. Within NY4EM I lead the Student Statewide Coalition which educates college campuses about the harms of the commercial sex trade, the Equality Model, and how to get involved in the movement. I never could have imagined how transformative my field placement would be. I am eager to continue doing clinical and policy work with survivors of the commercial sex trade, and I am currently applying to graduate school to get my Masters in Social Work. Thank you MVYouth, without your support I would not have attended NYU and would not have been exposed to this trying, fulfilling work.