Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What are your interests and hobbies?

Hi, I’m Lindsay Abramson. I’m from Boulder, Colorado. I love to read, listen to podcasts, and be outdoors during my free time. I also enjoy lifting weights in the gym, which takes up a lot of my time during the week. I feel like it grounds me, and I get to spend time being with my thoughts. My favorite genre of books are self-help, and I love to listen to true crime podcasts while on walks.

You came to CU Denver as a transfer student. Tell us about your decision to attend CU Denver and what experiences led to that decision.

Originally, I was thinking about going to CU Boulder because it was very convenient. After some thought, I decided I wanted some change and was looking at schools a little farther from home. I came across CU Denver because of my interest in the Criminal Justice program. I also liked the diversity at CU Denver. I grew up in a relatively isolated area, with not much diversity, and I was excited about learning more about cultures and individuals at CU Denver.

What influenced you to choose Criminal Justice as your major?

I started to become interested in Criminal Justice in high school because of all the true crime podcasts that I listened to. I think learning about why criminals commit crimes is very interesting. I also like the investigative side of it because my brain likes to solve puzzles. My dad has been involved in both law and policing which had me exposed to the criminal justice system at a very young age. We used to watch the shows “Cops” and “LivePD” when I was younger. This sparked my interest in the law enforcement side of things.

You are also completing a Psychology degree. Tell us about your decision to pursue double degrees.

I decided to also complete a Psychology degree because I love to learn about the brain and how it works. In some ways, Psychology and Criminal Justice are very similar, especially when it comes to mental health disorders. At first, I had Psychology as my minor but then realized that I would only need a couple additional classes to complete a double major. I decided to do this because they are both very interesting to me.

Tell us about a favorite CU Denver class or professor.

I definitely have a couple of favorite classes, but the ones that come to mind are “Offenders with Mental Health Disorders” and “Law Enforcement”. The first one is taught by Dr. Gabriel Maletta, and the second one is taught by Chief Jason Mollendor. Not only are the professors awesome, but the contents of these classes are great, too. In Dr. Maletta’s class we talked a lot about psychology overlapping with the criminal justice system. It was interesting to apply my knowledge from both of my degrees. I enjoyed Chief Mollendor’s class because we watched a lot of body cam footage as well as engaged in great discussions. Another notable class is “Abnormal Psychology” taught by Dr. Bethann Bierer. This was a great class to apply both my knowledge of criminal justice and psychology as well.

You’ve been an intern with the Auraria Police Department. Tell us about a highlight from your internship.

The highlight of my internship is how welcoming everyone at the agency has been. I was a bit nervous going into my internship because I was unsure what it was going to be like. But during my internship I have spent time with patrol, investigations, dispatch, records, and the NCOs. It has been a great experience getting to meet so many people and hear their stories. I have also received great advice from many of the officers about what they think my next steps should be.

What’s something from your internship that has been surprising?

Something from my internship that has been surprising is observing the backend of everything at a police department. I have completed an internship at Fort Lupton PD before and never got to see the dispatch side of things. Being able to see how it works has been an eye-opening and amazing experience.

What steps did you take to find and secure your internship?

Since I had the class with Chief Mollendor, I decided to reach out to him and see if they hosted internships. He put me in touch with Lt. Pannwitz and I sent in my application along with my resume, a cover letter, and my transcript. The process was not too difficult, especially because they already knew me, which was nice. I got to choose my own hours and Lt. Pannwitz made a schedule to place me with different areas of the department every week.

What advice do you have for future students?

Advice that I have for future students is not to be scared to pursue what you want in life. I have many friends that are getting degrees for their parents and not studying what they want. It’s been an important part of my journey to not listen to anyone else’s opinion and go with my heart. Staying focused on my career path is essential to be able to do what I want in the future, no matter if people think I can’t achieve it. You are in school for you and it’s important to remind yourself of that.