Majors: Sociology, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Why did you choose your majors?
My first initial major as an incoming first-year was criminology and criminal justice. I had gone into this major solely because I wanted to pursue my career in corrections as a probation officer in a juvenile facility. I am also a part of the honors program which allowed me to take a social science class about Power and Privilege, with Dr. Jose Marichal and Dr. Adina Nack. This boosted my interest in social science, hence why I double majored in sociology.
Would you recommend your majors and the honors program to a future student? Why?
I would definitely recommend all three. Criminology and criminal justice allows me to learn about different disciplines, theories, and why criminals partake in crime. Sociology touches on social science within education, globalization and cultures. What is actually very beneficial in these two majors is that they are very versatile and go hand in hand. Especially when I’m learning something in one major it is also touched on in the next major. As for the honors program, I had the social science track and I really enjoyed it. It even pushed me to understand not only my social environment but other social environments as well.
What are your future plans?
My future plan is to go to graduate school for counseling. My initial career plan was to work in corrections at a probation agency. It has always been my plan to pursue this career, but after coming here I have a lot of other routes that I might want to take on, which might be in investigating, or being a couselor at a juvenile detention facility.
Are there any particular experiences — in or out of the classroom — that have helped you identify that path?
There have been experiences in and out of the classroom that have helped me navigate this path. I will definitely say that family experiences have also played a factor in why I want to pursue my degree in sociology and criminology and criminal justice especially since some of my members were apart of the criminal justice system. I noticed that for some it was hard to reenter Society and I want to help within that process and be that positive change that individuals can see within themselves.
I have also worked with a lot of Youth and realize that I wanted to start there, but after taking, Contemporary Corrections, with Dr. Schannae Lucas. This had made me realize that I may want to help adults. In this course Dr. Lucas took us to Tehachapi California Correctional Institution and we were able to not only interact with offenders, but understand the environment and opportunities that they have when they are in prison. Within having this career path interest, it definitely changes over time, but that is the benefit from this major is that you can try your interest and find another one within it.