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Criminal Justice Student Stories

What has continually motivated me to get a degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Victims and Victim Studies is knowing I can make a positive impact with people who are experiencing difficult times. So much of the spotlight is on offenders, but my mind always goes to how we can better serve victims.

I have always been interested in how people process trauma and what ways the criminal justice system can either help them heal or further victimize them. I wanted to further my education of the criminal justice system while gaining a deeper understanding of cognition and psychology, so that is the main reason I decided on this degree path.

Every person I met and every building I walked through made me feel like I was at home. Becoming a Crime Scene Investigator has been my greatest goal for many years, and I felt as though I could accomplish that goal at the School of Public Affairs at CU Denver.

One of my first classes was Intro to Criminal Justice, and I always looked forward to the class. Next, I took Crime Theory. It finally clicked that my enthusiasm and interest in CJ classes meant that this was definitely my calling. I then declared my major and never once looked back after that.

My internship experience at the Colorado Innocence Center benefitted me in many ways. As a clinical intern, my job was to investigate cases that have been sent to the Center that claim an individual has been wrongfully convicted. This is the type of work that I hope to do in my future as a criminal lawyer, so I was beyond excited to get that real-life experience. Reading about a case in a textbook is very different than actually reading a letter from an inmate’s perspective as to what events occurred and collaborating with attorneys and determining whether the Center is able to take on a case. I now understand the importance of internships and couldn’t thank the School of Public Affairs enough for making this a required aspect of the BA in Criminal Justice!