Kellie Rose Kordinak is in an elite group of American college students.
The senior from 91ֿ at Stark was recently named a 2024 Portz Scholar by the National Collegiate Honors Council – one of only four students from across the country to be recognized with this distinction.
Majoring in history and applied communication studies, Kordinak received recognition for her in-depth research on human trafficking presented in her thesis,
Kordinak's research included a of interviews with top experts in human trafficking.
Kordinak said she found herself sifting through historical content and primary sources that told a story about the history of human trafficking in the 1900s and its societal impact; therefore, her thesis initially focused on the historical timeline of human trafficking.
“To complete this thesis, I had to retell the story I uncovered and piece together what we already knew about the history of human trafficking and what the public was generally unaware of,” Kordinak said. “… The historical record of human trafficking is short under its current name but stems back thousands of years through its previous aliases and related crimes.”
Having committed a year and a half to research and investigating the history of human trafficking, she said that this project not only provided her with tremendous insight, but also provided opportunities to work alongside professionals and survivors.
“This is something I only dreamed of as a freshman in college. Completing a senior honors thesis allowed me to explore a major global issue historically and to creatively deliver credible research and sources that professionals in the field can use for training and knowledge competency.”
Kordinak added, “Contributing my part in the anti-human trafficking initiative as an undergraduate student, I see unimaginable opportunities for me to give back to survivors and support professionals as I continue in this field and discover more gaps in research, prevention and services.”
Classroom Inspiration Sparks Research Project
It was during her freshman year that Kordinak first learned about human trafficking through the history classes of Leslie Heaphy, Ph.D., associate professor of history and the Honors Program coordinator on the Stark Campus.
“Dr. Heaphy opened my eyes to the way history connects with the present. However, my own curiosities about the history of human trafficking led me down many rabbit holes and I had to investigate further,” Kordinak said.
The spark Kordinak felt made Heaphy a natural choice as Kordinak's thesis advisor.
“This is a huge accomplishment for her and it’s great to see the recognition of all her hard work on a national level,” Heaphy noted. “It’s great for the university and our Honors Program to see students recognized for their work. Kellie Rose is an amazing, hard-working student who is going to make an impact on the world!”
"I wanted to dive into the lengthier history behind the modern term ‘human trafficking’ and investigate how it has been portrayed and conceptualized in primarily U.S. culture through film; newspapers and media; legislation; politics and government; justice; but on the international level, as well,” Kordinak said.
Advocacy to Continue After Graduation
Kordinak will graduate this December with bachelor’s degrees in history and applied communication studies. She will participate in the Washington Program in National Issues next spring in Washington, D.C., where she plans to study political science while interning for a government agency or nonprofit organization related to advocacy, communication, anti-human trafficking and/or child exploitation prevention initiatives.
As an undergraduate student, Kordinak kept busy by chairing the Stark Campus Honors Anti-Human Trafficking committee; being a member of the National Society for Leadership and Success; being in the Stark Campus Honors Program; serving on the Stark Campus Student Council; leading the Stark Campus Creative Writing Club; and serving as a student representative on the Stark Campus Dean’s Advisory Board.
Kordinak also serves as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of Portage County; is an intern with the Summit County Collaborative Against Human Trafficking; and works with IBH Addiction Recovery-Firestone Campus.
“I will always continue advocating for children involved in abuse, neglect and/or dependency cases through my local CASA program,” she added. “At times, there can be so much hurt in this world when it comes to a heavy topic such as human trafficking, but many opportunities still exist to put good back into the world and re-establish basic human rights through your compassion and determination.”
91ֿ the Portz Scholars Program
Founded in 1966, the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) was designed to support and promote undergraduate honors education. According to its website, NCHC includes nearly 900 member institutions and several hundred individual members, impacting over 330,000 honors students.
NCHC institutional members are invited to nominate one paper, per institution, written by an undergraduate honors student for the Portz Scholars competition. The four 2024 NCHC Portz Scholars will be featured at the NCHC annual conference in Kansas City in November. They were selected from hundreds of research submissions.