Baylor Law Grad Gives Back to Community

by Meghan Merchant, student newswriter

A 3 a.m. phone call might annoy some people, but for recent Baylor Law School graduate Lauren Hudgeons, it's a signal that somebody is hurting. And to that person, she could make a difference.

Since graduating from law school in April, Hudgeons has served as a volunteer for the Advocacy Center - a non-profit umbrella organization serving victims of crime and their families and friends in Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone and McLennan counties.

She was introduced to the work of the Advocacy Center while interning at the McLennan County District Attorney's Office. Hudgeons attended several meetings at the center and was impressed with the work they did.

"God has put a real burden on my heart for victims of abuse, so I wanted to be a part of the work the Advocacy Center is doing," she said.

Hudgeons also served as a crisis intervention advocate, answering calls that came to the center's crisis hotline at night while the center was closed. If a sexual assault victim goes to the hospital during the night, the hospital will call the hotline and an advocate goes to the hospital to be with the survivor.

"Sometimes, it is hard to know exactly what to say or do to help the survivor," Hudgeons said. "But I know that if the survivor were my younger sister or my mother, I wouldn't care if the advocate said or did everything perfectly. I would just want that advocate to be there."

This thought, along with the feeling that she might be able to help somebody in some small way, calmed her worries of not being able to say the right thing when being called upon as an advocate.

"Volunteering has been a tremendous experience," she said. "I feel like, maybe for the first time in my life, I am doing something important. I am making a difference in people's lives."

Hudgeons is from Greenville, Texas, and graduated from Baylor with a degree in political science before attending Baylor Law School. She took the Texas Bar Exam in July and plans to move back to the Dallas area with her husband, Brian. She hopes to work as a prosecutor, specializing in crimes against women and children. The Advocacy Center recognized Hudgeons in its latest newsletter for her dedication as a volunteer.

Information about the Advocacy Center can be found here or by calling (254) 752-9330.