ETSU student Gracee DeJarnette combines global study, faith, dance and advocacy to combat human trafficking through campus and community engagement.

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Gracee DeJarnette puts her faith and her desire to combat human trafficking into action through advocacy at East Tennessee State University.

The Clinton native is a Global Citizen Scholar at ETSU, which has given her opportunities to study in France and England and take part in the Global Handshakes Ghana program. And it is because of these education abroad opportunities, as well as her work with a new student organization at ETSU, that the communication studies major plans a career in vocational ministry.

During her time in Ghana, DeJarnette and her fellow students focused on human rights, and particularly human trafficking.

“We were able to study in a way that honored the people who have been through these terrible things,” she said, adding that they visited an anti-trafficking organization and learned about their rescue and rehabilitation processes.

Turning education abroad into community service

DeJarnette has been able to put what she learned in Ghana to good use through community service at ETSU.

“A lot of my work has been in the anti-trafficking realm,” she said. “I founded the campus chapter of International Justice Mission, an international organization that aims to end modern-day slavery. And here at ETSU, we partner with them in prayer, advocacy and fundraising. So, it was really an incredible experience in Ghana to see what people are actually doing in person, and it was so encouraging.”

DeJarnette has been glad to see the campus community respond to IJM’s advocacy and fundraising efforts. Activities have included a run, a pop-up thrift store, a farmers’ market, prayer events, and “Coffee and Congress,” during which members provided free coffee and encouraged students to contact their senators and representatives.

“A lot of students have said they didn’t know this was happening,” she said. “That awareness, I think, is really key for our organization, because college students are incredible. They’re all very passionate, and if we can get the right cause in front of them, college students can do anything. So, we really focus on education and awareness.”

Sharing her Global Handshakes story

DeJarnette is one of seven students who shared stories from their Global Handshakes Ghana experiences in video through StoryCollab, an ETSU Research Corporation platform that facilitates first-person stories to amplify everyday voices.

In her video, DeJarnette describes the fear and anxiety she felt during a cultural immersion experience in which she and a classmate visited a family in the village of Jukwa – without the comforting presence of a trip leader.

“We were going to visit the home, just to see how they live,” she said. “They were going to give us a cooking lesson.”

Although language and other cultural barriers made interactions with the family challenging, everything changed when children from throughout the village came to the home and broke into dance, with sheer joy radiating from their faces.

That joy was contagious, and DeJarnette – a dancer from the age of 3 – quickly forgot her anxiety and relaxed, joining in with the children.

“I chose to tell this story to share the power of dance in cross-cultural contexts. Dance has the incredible power to inspire and connect.”

A passion for dance

In addition to her work with IJM, DeJarnette follows her passion for dance at ETSU. A competitive dancer since fifth grade, she was drawn to the university not only by the Global Citizenship Honors Program, but also the dance minor.

DeJarnette gained her first musical theater performance during her first year in the Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of “James and the Giant Peach.” In addition, she performed in the role of Sally in a dance choreographed to accompany “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in the Department of Music’s annual Holiday Concert in December 2025.

She plays an active role in Amalgam, a student-led dance organization that produces showcase performances each spring. The spring 2025 showcase marked the first time her choreography was featured on stage, and she looks forward to the Amalgam showcase this May.  

Learn more

Hands-on learning beyond the classroom is one important way ETSU prepares its students to improve the quality of life for people of the region and beyond. Check out ETSU’s many other hands-on learning opportunities and Education Abroad.

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