Team Members
Research Lab Director

Research Lab Assistants
Akeila McNeal Spring 2025
Akeila McNeal (she/her) is a fourth-year political science major with a minor in criminal justice from Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from Millikin University in May 2025, Akeila plans to work at the juvenile delinquency detention center in Chicago and would like to attend law school in 2026. In addition to pursuing a law degree with the aim of becoming a judge, she also wants to start various programs for juveniles in detention centers. These programs will provide youth with knowledgeable life skills and employment opportunities so they may have better opportunities in life. Akeila wants to dedicate her life to helping and providing support to people in low-income communities.
Maggie Schrage Summer 2024- Spring 2025
Maggie Schrage (she/her) is a third-year Political Science and Philosophy double major with a criminal justice minor from Breese, Illinois, a small town located in Southern Illinois. She intends to attend law school with an emphasis in Constitutional Law after completing her undergraduate degree at Millikin University. The objective of her law degree is to represent marginalized and underrepresented communities in which she plans to work as a public defender in low socioeconomic areas of the United States. Her true passions fall into US politics, and she wishes to one day be an elected official on the local, state, or federal levels of government. She is honored to be a part of the research team in the lab and hopefully one day will be able to apply the team’s research into progressive legislation for survivors of trafficking and work exploitation.
Diana Terneus Spring – Fall 2024
Diana Terneus (she/her) graduated from Millikin University in 2024 with a Human Services major and Psychology minor. She is originally from Macon, Illinois, and has been a resident in Decatur, Illinois for over 25 years. After graduating, she hopes to attend graduate school where she will earn a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Therapy, and eventually a Ph.D. in Psychology. Diana believes that, as a professional in human services, it is her duty to advocate for marginalized populations and those living in isolation. She looks forward to learning more about human trafficking and developing the skills it takes to spread awareness and educate community members who are in positions to assist trafficked individuals or report suspected offenses. She is interested in researching in the human trafficking lab, as data collected will help with government funding and policies to combat atrocities against populations vulnerable to trafficking. Diana was the seventh student to work in the Human Trafficking Research Lab and she works as a Counselor at Growing Strong Sexual Assault Center in Decatur, Illinois.
Aliyah Houston Spring 2024
Aliyah Houston (she/her) is a first-year political science student at Millikin University. Born in Chicago, raised in Decatur Illinois. After graduation she hopes to continue expanding her knowledge on the political system and make a difference in every way possible. Aliyah believes that human trafficking happens here, and you may look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know. She is honored to be apart of one of a research lab focuses on human trafficking, a rare initiative in the USA that’s making a significant impact in combating this global issue.
Rhys Deiter Fall 2022-Spring 2024
Rhys Deiter (he/him) graduated with a bachelor's of arts in political science and a Philosophy Pre-Law minor from Millikin University in 2024. He is from New Palestine, a small rural town in central Indiana. After graduation he hopes to attend law school and pursue a career as a civil rights lawyer. Rhys feels that human trafficking is an issue that kind of flies under the radar and hopes through a collaborative effort within the Millikin Human Trafficking Lab they can draw more attention to the issue. Rhys was the fifth student to work in the Millikin Human Trafficking Research Lab. He is currently enrolled in a Juris Doctor program at the University of Northern Illinois.
Gabby Watson Spring 2021-Spring 2024
Gabby Watson (they/she) graduated with a bachelor's of arts in political science and Philosophy Pre-Law from Millikin University in 2024. They are from Murphysboro, a small southern town in Southern Illinois. After graduation, they hope to pursue a job in the field of politics. They look forward to furthering their knowledge on human trafficking and bringing awareness to this issue. They anticipate that through hard work, they will be able to help find new ways to combat human trafficking in central Illinois. Gabby is the fifth student to work in the Millikin Human Trafficking Research Lab. They are currently enrolled in a Master's of Public Policy program at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy.
Jadon Cox Spring 2023-Spring 2024
Jadon Cox (he/him) graduated with a bachelor's of arts in political science from Millikin University in 2024. He is from Mt. Zion Illinois, a small town on the outskirts of Decatur. After graduation he hopes to attend law school and pursue a career as a copyright/IP lawyer. Jadon believes that human trafficking work is often overlooked, simply due to the broad scope of the crimes. He hopes to be able to gain a deep understanding of the concept of human trafficking and to be able to contribute to a better understanding of the human trafficking violations in the state. He believes that knowledge on human trafficking is crucial to prevent the maintaining of the status quo In addition, he looks forward to contributing to impactful and important research in his local, hometown community. Jadon is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Illinois.
Kocha Changelia Fall 2022
Aimable Ngabo Summer 2021-Spring 2022
Aimable Ngabo (he/him) graduated with a bachelor's of arts in political science from Millikin University in 2022. He is from Kigali, Rwanda a country located in East Africa. After the completion of his studies, he looks plans to work at a think tank or other humanitarian organization to advocate for human rights all over the world. He is honored to serve as the Human Trafficking Lab Research Assistant because this project will educate him more about issues related to human trafficking in Illinois. Aimable Ngabo is a Partner Representative at UpHealth, Inc in Portland, Oregon.
Joselynn Ali (she/her), a South Holland Illinois native, graduated with a bachelor's of arts in political science and a Philosophy Pre-Law minor from Millikin University in 2021. Joselynn plans to pursue a law degree after graduating from Millikin University. She looks forward to learning more about human trafficking as well as sharing her findings with her peers. Bringing awareness is the objective and Joselynn’s dedication will further the goal of spreading awareness to the cause. She was the fourth student to assist in Millikin’s Human Trafficking Research Lab. Joselynn is a Housing Advocate on the Prevention and Community Based Services Team at Housing Opportunities for Women in Chicago, Illinois.
Troy Burrows Fall 2019

Julisa Sierra Spring 2018- Spring 2019

Jasmin Coronel Spring 2019
Jasmin Coronel graduated with a bachelor's of arts in political science and Spanish from Millikin University in 2021. She is from Chicago, Illinois and hopes to pursue a degree in immigration law after graduation. Jasmin was the second student to work in the Millikin Human Trafficking Research Lab and she researched human trafficking themes on different migration blogs. Jasmin is a Senior COE Specialist at Uber in Chicago, Illinois.
Comments
Post a Comment