The power Of Education

“Education is the movement from darkness to light.” — Allan Bloom

Last week, the C7 Human Trafficking Coalition awarded recipients of the Gateway Scholarship Fund—a powerful resource that enables survivors of human trafficking to pursue higher education and, ultimately, long-term independence and freedom.

Education, whether through a technical program, trade school, or four-year university, creates opportunity, stability, and long term success. For survivors, it can be a critical step toward reclaiming autonomy and building a future defined not by past exploitation, but by possibility.

Survivors living within the seven counties served by the C7 Human Trafficking Coalition—Denton, Tarrant, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Wise, and Grayson—are eligible to apply for the Gateway Scholarship during open application periods. Applicants submit letters of recommendation, written essays, and share portions of their personal story. Those who apply have already taken meaningful steps in their recovery journey. They have exited exploitation, engaged in healing, and demonstrated resilience, determination, and a clear vision for their future.

The Gateway Scholarship allows survivors to expand their knowledge and skills while strengthening the broader fight against human trafficking. Survivors are not only beneficiaries of recovery efforts, they are essential leaders and experts in this fight. Their lived experience provides insight no report, statistic, or policy paper ever could. If we are to meaningfully confront and reduce human trafficking in all its forms, survivors must be supported, empowered, and centered at every level of the work.

At Last Word, our role is to support survivor-led progress through advocacy, education, storytelling, and strategic funding partnerships. Our support of the Gateway Scholarship Fund, and the more than $10,000 raised to date—has been a true community effort. Not corporate-driven, but fueled by individuals who believe that long-term recovery deserves long-term investment. A goal first set in 2023, and one that we are confident will continue to expand through collective action.

One scholarship recipient shared a few words after receiving their award that deeply resonated: how powerful it felt to be loved and supported by people they had never met.

That statement stayed with me.

That survivor may never meet the North Texas friends, families, artists, and advocates who gathered on a cold January day in 2023 standing outside, listening to music, shopping local, and raising funds that would one day support their education. Yet the impact of that moment lives on. That is the ripple effect Last Word strives to embody: connection without proximity, support without recognition, and action rooted in shared humanity.

As we move into 2026, our commitment is clear. We are working toward a future where survivor care is not short-term, conditional, or fragmented but sustained, dignified, and forward-looking.

Education is not just a pathway out of exploitation.

It is a pathway toward leadership, stability, and lasting freedom.

Learn more about our 2026 initiatives, including Freedom, Funded, and how you can take part in building long-term support for survivors.

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