Second year law student Sarah Hajovsky wants to use her J.D. in the field of international human rights. She doesn’t have to go overseas, however, to gain the necessary legal experience. Instead, she only has to travel ten miles from the Regent University campus to gain exposure to some of the most important international humanitarian work being done today.Since September, Hajovsky has been externing 12-15 hours a week with the Civil Military Fusion Centre (CFC) at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Allied Command Headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. Her projects support CFC’s goal of “creating an environment where information can flow freely between civilian and military actors engaged in complex crises, with the intent to ultimately help those in need.”
“I thoroughly enjoy participating in projects that have international significance,” said Hajovsky. “And CFC is designed to facilitate communication between non-government organizations and the military when handling sensitive humanitarian disasters around the globe.”
Hajovsky reports to the Knowledge Manager for North East Africa who is responsible for overseeing the humanitarian crisis in this region. In response to current events, Hajovsky has been compiling information for, and maintaining an informational website on, piracy off the coast of Somalia. In addition to writing a legal brief detailing the jurisdictional issues surrounding the prosecution of piracy, she also works for a member of the NATO general counsel.
Through her NATO externship, Hajovsky has gained a better understanding of maritime law and universal jurisdiction, along with the applicable United Nation Security Council Provisions, International Maritime Organization regulations, and the Suppression of Unlawful Acts directives.
Read about other Regent Law externs here.