Rising 3L Rachel Rutter will spend her summer in San Jose, Costa Rica assisting the sex-crimes prosecutor and supporting a non-profit organization that protects teens from human trafficking.

It will be the second trip to Costa Rica in 2015 for Rutter, who spent the spring break there with rising 2L Lauren Burnetta, rising 3L Kim Hollenback and rising 2L Victoria Pietruszka.

The four worked with two non-profit organizations, Seeds of Hope, in Quepos, and the Face of Justice, in San Jose, where they taught English classes and helped build a safe-house. The organizations work to give vulnerable teens skills they need to secure meaningful work and a place to get away from predators.  

“Boys and girls are both vulnerable, but girls are more so,” said Rutter, who worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica before starting law school and founded the law school’s Domestic Violence Law Society with Hollenback.

During their spring break, the students captured highlights from their travels with a blog and video. They hope to return next year.