WEBVTT
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Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Western Oregon University.
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Um, I'm really happy to see you all here today.
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It's a great day for visiting the campus, so we were lucky today with the weather.
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This is our 38th annual career day. We've been doing this for a really long time.
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Almost as long as we've existed. I'm Misty Weitzel.
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I'm our Criminal Justice Sciences Division Chair.
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I also am a professor and my area is forensic anthropology,
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which I'll talk to you about a little bit more later.
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We have a very long and proud history of criminal justice at Western.
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We started our program in the late 1960's.
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To me that doesn't seem like that long ago.
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To all you, [laughing] I realize that's like a century ago.
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Um, but yeah, we started out and we were just, at that time,
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we were corrections.
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Pretty much that was it. These days, we have a lot more.
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We've broadened our horizons. We have a lot more people in the program
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and we have a lot of areas.
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So, you can get two degrees in criminal justice.
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You can get your Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice,
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or you could get your Bachelor of Science in Cybercrime Investigation and Enforcement,
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or Cyber Security.
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So, those are your two options for criminal justice.
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In addition to that, if you want to, you can augment your degree
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and we have minors in Juvenile Justice.
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We have a very strong Youth Crime Studies or Juvenile Justice program here.
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A lot of faculty teaching in those areas.
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Forensic Anthropology, as I mentioned,
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I brought forensic anthropology to this university in 2012.
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We're the only forensic anthropology program in Oregon.
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And then we have a minor in Criminal Justice and we have a minor in Cyber Security as well.
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So, sometimes when people are majoring in other areas,
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they choose those minors. But, you could do something like be a Criminal Justice major
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with a cybercrime minor, too.
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Then, we have these things called concentrations.
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And, concentrations are built into your degree.
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So, when you're getting your Bachelors degree, if you--
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you have to take certain amount of electives as part of that degree.
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So, we have five concentrations. Corrections, Homeland Security, Forensic Anthropology,
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Law Enforcement, and Juvenile Justice.
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So those are all areas that you can tailor your degree to be more specialized in.
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We're honored to have a visit from the provost today.
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Provost Cole, and I will pass it on to you. Thanks very much.
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Good morning. First of all, welcome to Western Oregon University.
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Uh, we have a very long history in criminal justice, as--
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as already delivered to you and prepared for you. Remarkable faculty.
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You're obviously here because you want to serve.
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Somewhere, either in your community, you want to serve your state,
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or you want to serve nationally.
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You have, somewhere in there, a passion to be a servant agent
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and that's what a criminal justice degree provides for you, right?
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That you're going to have the skills and the ability,
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the critical thinking to go back into your community and do good.
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And that's what we want from every student.
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Uh, we want you to be able to come to Western, acquire critical thinking skills,
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acquire good practical skills, and then actually be able to go out into your community
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and do good.
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Now, Oregon, the four corners of Oregon.
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You cannot visit any four corners of Oregon
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and not find someone that has actually stepped through this-- this door.
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Everyone in Oregon somewhere, in law enforcement,
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has been impacted by this program.
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For someone that actually has a lot of colleagues in criminal justice,
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or in law enforcement in particularly,
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I'm always astonished to hear, uh, their connection to Western Oregon University.
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And that speaks volumes to our program.
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It speaks volumes to the history of our program.
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And it speaks volume to your desire to walk through those doors and sit in the same spot,
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thinking about the same questions that thousands of individuals
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have come through our program and graduated
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and have had a positive impact on our community.
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And, as a Provost, and I think President Peters would say,
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we want you to be wolves.
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We want you to be part of this community.
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Our faculty care, our advisors care, our staff care
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for your success at Western Oregon University.
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So, you've made already a commitment.
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You're already a part of our community. You're here with us.
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And we expect you, and I expect you, to make that through.
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Come to Western Oregon University. Major in Criminal Justice,
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go back to the community- don't pull me over.
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Pull everybody else over, but don't pull me over. Do good.
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That's all I ask. Whatever degree you decide to get at Western Oregon University,
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just do good to your community.
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And, if you earn a Criminal Justice degree, I know you will do good.
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Because our faculty are going to prepare you and give you the needed skills
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so you can actually be a servant agent in your community.
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With that, thank you very much for being with us here this morning.
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Enjoy your day. Ask a question. Shake a lot of hands. Take a lot of notes.
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And, I look forward to seeing you when you're ready to be part of our community.
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Thank you. [Applause]
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We're going to take some time to learn about
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what some of our graduates are doing with their degrees now.
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As a reminder, Dr. Weitzel introduced me,
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but I am Dr. Taryn Vanderpyl.
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My focus is on corrections, which means prisons and jails.
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I go into prison a lot. I'll be in prison on Friday.
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I'm told it sounds weird when I say that.
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So, uh, that's something I'm try-- trying to give a little bit of disclosure.
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I also like to take students into prison with me.
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Prison is very fun to visit when you are allowed to leave.
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So, if you're going to go to prison, please only go with me.
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If you-- if you don't go with me, I'll still help you when you get out.
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That is-- is my area of focus.
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I've been with Western for five years now and I absolutely love it here.
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I taught at a couple other universities before this and Western is definitely the right fit.
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So, I hope to see you here in the future.
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In the meantime though, let's talk about, uh, some folks who have already been here
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and have already graduated from here.
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If we could just go down the line. Would you introduce yourself,
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tell the year that you graduated,
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what agency you're working with now,
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and what you do in your profession.
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If you would start us off please.
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Yeah, my name is Cody Wolf. I graduated in 2018.
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Uh, I am a law enforcement Deputy for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office,
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and I am currently assigned to our Transit Police division.
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Uh, and I have an explosive K9, um like, bomb sniffing dog.
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My name is Benjamin Chittock. I graduated in 2020.
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I work at the, uh, Northwest Regional Re-Entry Center. It's a little bit of a mouth full.
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Um, I'm a case manager there and I work specifically in what's
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called the Aid and Assist Program.
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And that's a program for offenders who have been arrested,
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but are deemed incompetent to stand trial.
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And, that means basically it would be unconstitutional
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if they were to go to trial in their current state.
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You know, they could be taken advantage of by the D.A
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or say something that would incriminate them.
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So, what I do as their case manager is I, you know,
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besides just lowering barriers to care, um, I help them with their competency restoration,
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study their legal skills and, uh, prepare them for a potential trial.
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I'm Hustin Demir. I work for the Washington County Sheriff's Office
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in the Forensic Science unit. I graduated in 2015.
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And, what I do now is process crime scenes and play with dead bodies.
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Cool. Uh, I'm Matthew Coyle. I work for the United States Department of Justice
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with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
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Um, I graduated in 2020, and I am a United States Correctional Officer.
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My name is Kevin Jones, Uh, I work for the FBI based out of Salem.
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Uh, headquartered out of Portland. I graduated in 2012.
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Um, I am an adjunct faculty here with the criminal justice program.
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So, I teach classes and I'm also a member of our evidence response team.
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So, I also get to look at dead bodies.
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My name is Aaron Stotler. I work for Yamhill County Juvenile Detention.
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I am a supervisor there. I work with youth in the detention facility and,
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uh, that's just the day-to-day.
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Thank you.
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Um, Matt, We're going to start with you because I've had you in class
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so I can pick on you first.
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Can you explain to us what made you choose Western?
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Yeah, um, so it's actually kind of cool. When I was 17,
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I came up here from California, out of state.
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And, I actually sat in this exact same room where you guys are right now.
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And, I saw this same panel, so it kinda comes full circle
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that I'm now on the panel as an alumni, as a professional.
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And, um, I chose Western because I knew I wanted to serve,
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um, my community and criminal justice was something I was very interested in at the time.
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And still am.
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And, I chose Western because, well, they have a giant criminal justice program here
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and not many other universities in the state of Oregon have large criminal justice programs.
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Um, I just liked the campus and the faculty that I met when I was here
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when I was in high school.
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And, just was very inviting.
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And I was just excited to start learning everything I could
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while I was here and enrolled.
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How about you, Cody?
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Uh, I chose Western, uh, I'm kind of a homebody,
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so I just, I lived outside of Portland my whole life.
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And so it was kind of nice to have a University that was pretty close to home.
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Um, I really appreciated and enjoyed all, like, the meeting I came to, all the,
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uh, career fair days, just like all of you are here for today.
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Um, the staff was wonderful.
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And then, the thing that really appealed to me as well was the small class size.
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Um, I didn't want to just be another, kind of like, number in a class.
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When you talk to like, you went to like Oregon State or U of O for example,
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it was like three or four hundred people in class.
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And, here I was like maybe one of fifteen or twenty,
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so I felt like I had a really personal connection with all my professors.
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And that's something that really appealed to me and really kind of swayed my decision to,
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uh, to be a Western Oregon Wolf.
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Thank you.
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Aaron, I want to come to you for the next question.
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What classes did you like best, or-- or, in which classes did you learn the most?
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Which professors contributed to those learning?
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Yeah, so, um, I forgot to mention, 2015 is when I graduated.
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And, uh, Criminology, and uh, I think it was quantitative methods.
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I know I had a professor, Tom O'Connor, at the time. Hopefully it's okay to name drop.
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But, uh, he was really great. Um, you know, the small class size definitely had,
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uh, a large part in just feeling,
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uh, heard and it was really easy to communicate with those professors.
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And, it was really fun.
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Um, and I, you know, speaking to Tom O'Connor at the time, that professor.
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Uh, his techniques and, uh, discussion, and his abilities to lead groups
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and be as warm and welcoming to take students with him to those facilities
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and to just demonstrate strong leadership skills at that time was really inspiring.
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And, uh, it was really great. So, and I learned a lot during those courses.
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Awesome. Thank you. And Tom O'Connor still teaches some classes for us from time to time.
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And he still is, in fact, fantastic. So, that's good.
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Hustin, how 'bout you?
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Um, just to reiterate on Tom O'Connor.
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He uh, he nicknamed me the ice queen in college.
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He gave me a lot to think about. It was fun.
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But, apparently I had a hard Justice stance.
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I think I was most challenged in my Forensic Osteology class. Thank you, Ms. Dr. Weitzel.
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Um, that was the first class that I ever actually had to study in, I think.
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That, that didn't come super naturally to me.
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So, I had to work really hard and that was really good for me.
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It kind of like, kicked me down a notch and I was like, 'ah crap'.
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Um, so I appreciated that. I really liked the challenge of it.
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And, all of my courses in-- within my discipline, really. I fit the bill for what I wanted to do.
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Thank you. Kevin, how 'bout you?
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Um, I wouldn't say that there was one class in particular that was--
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that was overly memorable as far as what really challenged me the most.
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I-- I do remember coming from, um, coming from high school,
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I went to high school in North Portland over in Benson,
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and uh, and I remember that I never really had to study.
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When I came-- when I came to Western, I realized that that's not how this works.
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And prior to that, I hadn't really drawn the connection between actually studying
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and receiving good grades.
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So, when I made that connection my freshman year.
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Luckily it was the first term, my freshman year, um, that I realized the more you study
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the better grades you get and then the more opportunities you have.
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And then I started getting scholarships and all these other things.
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But, um, there was one class. And I can't remember exactly what class it was,
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but I was undeclared as my-- as my major, um, for quite a while.
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And I realized criminal justice was going to be more of a natural interest because,
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my freshman year I was taking biology classes and education.
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I was trying to determine what I was going to do.
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And I had a friend of mine come into the dorms and we're talking about classes we were taking.
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And, uh, and he was talking about in his criminal justice class,
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they were talking about how to-- how certain drugs are made.
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And I remember like, you're doing that in-- in school.
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And he said, "Yeah, well I mean,
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in order for us to figure out the way to address this appropriately as professionals,
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we need to at least have our basic understanding"
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And I remember thinking that was really cool.
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And-- and, being able to-- just being able to have, you know, kind of an inside look at--
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at the world of criminal justice was just pretty natural to me.
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And then, so I took the first class which was that exact class and I was hooked.
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I remember it was-- it just seemed like a natural fit.
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Nice. Thank you. Ben, I want to come to you next.
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In what ways do you think Western prepared you for your career?
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Yeah, it helped me tremendously, honestly.
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The-- the first thing that comes to mind
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is having a strong understanding of the court system,
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and just the criminal justice system as a whole.
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Uh, I mean, it's hard enough as a normal person to navigate and understand that.
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And, it's extremely difficult for someone
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with severe and persistent mental illness to understand.
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And I can't teach and help them understand if I don't understand it myself, so, you know.
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Understanding the difference between a suspended sentence and a conditional release.
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Um, you know, just basic things like that were-- were huge for me.
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I just, I came into the job already knowing those things.
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I didn't have to learn as I went. It definitely gave me a head start.
00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:38.000
And then another thing that really comes to mind and I would recommend you don't avoid
00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:42.000
is taking the uh, professional writing in criminal justice class.
00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:43.000
If it's-- if it's still offered here.
00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:51.000
Hugely, hugely important to understand that everything you write in criminal justice
00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:53.000
can be eventually taken to court.
00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:55.000
Even something you write, you know, ten years ago,
00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:58.000
can eventually come to light in a court.
00:14:58.000 --> 00:14:61.000
And just, yeah, having that understanding of how to write properly,
00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:06.000
the importance of punctuation, and just how to take good notes was-- was really helpful for me.
00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:11.000
That's great, thank you. Matt, can I hit you with that question as well?
00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:15.000
What about your degree from Western helped prepare you for your career?
00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:18.000
Yeah, I'm very similar with that. Um, the writing is huge.
00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:21.000
In my job, writing reports, writing probable causes, uh, writing incident reports.
00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:25.000
Whatever profession you-- or, you know, program you guys decide to go into,
00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:27.000
it's absolutely huge.
00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:33.000
Uh, I remember sitting in freshman year and not knowing how to write really at all.
00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:37.000
And through, I think I took a writing course every year--
00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:39.000
or multiple writing courses every year I was here.
00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:47.000
And, they were difficult, but you know, had to learn APA style and all that good stuff [chuckle].
00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:53.000
But, learning how to put facts down on paper properly
00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:58.000
and taking your opinion away from factual writing is really important,
00:15:58.000 --> 00:15:61.000
especially in-- in criminal justice profession.
00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:04.000
And, um, yeah, punctuation.
00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:07.000
All of that. I'd say those were the most valuable courses that I took.
00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:11.000
Police report writing was great. The criminal justice professional writing was good.
00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:14.000
And those were the ones that helped me the most.
00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:17.000
Because I write daily in my-- in my profession.
00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:19.000
Everyday, I'm writing something.
00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:24.000
Thank you. Hustin, not everything that students learn here comes from a class.
00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:27.000
Was there anything you learned from your time here that has helped you in your career?
00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:31.000
Yeah, I would say the connections that Western Oregon has to,
00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:37.000
um, internships and practicums was really influential in my ability
00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:39.000
to move forward in forensics.
00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:44.000
I did my-- mine with, my internship with the Salem police department's crime lab.
00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:47.000
And, having that experience really set me apart
00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:50.000
when I was actually applying for full-time jobs later on.
00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:54.000
Um, I think without it I wouldn't have made the cut.
00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.000
That's great.
00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:57.000
And I like your connection to the practicum there,
00:16:57.000 --> 00:16:60.000
which is such a unique part of this program.
00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:02.000
Um, Cody, I'd like to come to you for that same question.
00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:05.000
Maybe-- maybe your practicum or maybe something else?
00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:07.000
What-- what added besides classes?
00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:10.000
Yeah, I think for me it was definitely the practicum as well.
00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:12.000
Uh, I actually did mine at the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:19.000
Um, and it was an incredible experience to just kind of rotate through all the different,
00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:21.000
um, units they have.
00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:25.000
Uh, and then I actually ended up leveraging my practicum experience
00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:27.000
into a position with them that was part-time.
00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.000
So, when I was a senior here, my last year,
00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:33.000
I was still working part-time with the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:37.000
And that was just an incredible experience to have connections
00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:40.000
with people in the industry and then also you know,
00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:45.000
have those references when applying for full-time positions, um, after graduation.
00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:49.000
Thank you. Aaron, I would like to come to you for the next one.
00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:51.000
What other positions in your agency can somebody
00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:54.000
with a criminal justice degree qualify for?
00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:56.000
In our agency?
00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:60.000
Um, well we work for the department of Community Justice in Yamhill County.
00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:08.000
So, there's parole, probation, adult, juvenile probation, um, the juvenile detention.
00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:15.000
And, typically, um, you know, spending time there.
00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:20.000
Whether it's through starting as an intern or working as on-call or part-time staff,
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:23.000
any kind of capacity usually kind of gets you your foot in the door.
00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:28.000
And like she said, like networking. Kind of get your name out there.
00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:32.000
You meet people. You can use those as resources down the road.
00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:41.000
And so, with our agency, it's-- it's a great way to get known and build that experience early on.
00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:44.000
Thank you. Ben, how would you answer that?
00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:45.000
What was the question again?
00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:47.000
That's fair. I set you up there.
00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:52.000
What other areas in your agency can a person with a degree in criminal justice qualify for?
00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:54.000
Yeah, you can be an employment specialist.
00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:56.000
It's really hard, actually, to find employment
00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:58.000
as someone who is coming out of the prison system.
00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:60.000
I'm sure you can all understand that.
00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:05.000
And if you have a degree, you can help people navigate that system
00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:07.000
and find jobs that would be a good fit for them.
00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:11.000
You can be a case manager like I am. You can work in our security department.
00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:15.000
Um, even though, you know, we're a halfway house and the people there are either,
00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:18.000
you know, not in custody or transitioning out of custody.
00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:23.000
We still have to have some sort of security on staff. You can do a lot.
00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:27.000
You can honestly do a lot. That's definitely one thing that I didn't know coming into,
00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:30.000
you know, uh, the criminal justice program.
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.000
My dad was a Deputy with Clark County up in Washington
00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:38.000
and I kind of just defaulted to, you know, I want to help people.
00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:41.000
I want to be involved in criminal justice. And, so, I'm gonna be a cop.
00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:43.000
You know, just like my dad was. And, not that that's a bad thing,
00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:47.000
but I just don't think a lot of people coming into it understand
00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:48.000
just how much you can do with the degree.
00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:52.000
Like, I would say, in my classes was probably like, 80, 90 percent of people
00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:54.000
were there just for the police force.
00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:58.000
Maybe 10 to 20 percent were there for, you know, corrections
00:19:58.000 --> 00:19:60.000
or social work or whatever.
00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:05.000
And, so, just-- just keep an open mind. You can do a lot with, uh, with a degree.
00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:08.000
Like I work in mental health. You can work in employment, corrections.
00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:09.000
You can work with a lot of stuff with it.
00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:11.000
Yeah, that's great. Thank you.
00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:14.000
I think people are surprised at how much you can do with a criminal justice degree
00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:17.000
and how much is offered in the program.
00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:20.000
I had a student in my class who I took into prison, because that's what I do.
00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.000
And, he met a gentleman in the Oregon State Penitentiary,
00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:26.000
the maximum security prison, whose sentence was commuted.
00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:31.000
And, part of-- part of that was him having to go to the re-entry center,
00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:34.000
and that student ended up working in the re-entry center.
00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:37.000
So, he had first met this gentleman when he was inside OSP,
00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:41.000
and then ended up-- as a student, and then ended up helping him in the re-entry center
00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:45.000
before he returned to the community. So, it covers a wide gamut.
00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:47.000
Kevin, I'd like to come to you.
00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:50.000
What do you find most exciting or fulfilling about your job
00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.000
besides just saying that it's cool that you work for the FBI?
00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:58.000
Well, it's just really cool to work for the FB-- no.
00:20:58.000 --> 00:20:61.000
Um, I really like the variety.
00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:03.000
Where I'm at in Salem, we cover five counties surrounding us.
00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:07.000
Um, we have a very wide area of responsibility to cover.
00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:10.000
And, within that, we're-- we're different than the Portland office
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:15.000
where analysts and agents in Portland work one offense at a time.
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:18.000
And, they focus their career around that one offense.
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:20.000
So, it could be counterterrorism, domestic terrorism,
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:22.000
counter intelligence.
00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:23.000
Pick something, right?
00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:25.000
But in Salem, we have to cover all of it.
00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:29.000
So, we cover all the offenses for five counties which is a--
00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:31.000
it's a lot of crime as you can imagine.
00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:34.000
The thing I really enjoy about it is the variety, and everyday,
00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:36.000
it's something different.
00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:40.000
I-- I've written so many reports and no two are the same. They're always different.
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:43.000
The cases are always different.
00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:46.000
Even if-- even though the charges or the offenses might be similar,
00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:49.000
the specifics of the cases are always changing.
00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:52.000
And, I just really enjoy the variety.
00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.000
I also like the opportunity to get out into the field
00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:58.000
with our evidence response team, and go to crime scenes, and go to good trainings.
00:21:58.000 --> 00:21:64.000
So, I just like, I really enjoy the variety and I don't think it's ever going to get old.
00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:08.000
Well, Matt, I'd like to come to you for that as well,
00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:10.000
and I'm afraid you're going to give the exact same answer.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:15.000
Uh, yeah. Pretty similar. My day is different every day.
00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.000
Um, it's never mundane. So, I work inside a Federal prison.
00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:24.000
There's one Federal prison in the state of Oregon. And, my day looks different everyday.
00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:28.000
I don;t know what I'm going to be doing from when I walk in to the time I leave.
00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:33.000
Um, whether it's responding to emergencies, you know.
00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:39.000
Transporting adults who are in custody, or working in a housing unit with inmates.
00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:45.000
Um, whether it's finding drugs or weapons or any of those kinds of things inside of prison.
00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.000
My day is always different. And, yeah.
00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:53.000
Okay, thank you. Hustin, I'd like to come to you,
00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:56.000
but before I do, will you raise your hands if you watch CSI
00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:58.000
and that's why you're interested in criminal justice.
00:22:58.000 --> 00:22:62.000
Oh, I don't believe that there are only two hands.
00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:06.000
We get students a lot-- thank you. Thank you for owning up to that.
00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:10.000
We get students a lot who have watched shows like CSI and are very excited about forensics,
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:12.000
as you should be.
00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:14.000
It's-- I mean, talk about cool. It's super cool.
00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:18.000
So, Hustin, you have what is kind of the dream job.
00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:21.000
Second, of course, to Kevin, because, you know.
00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:26.000
What would you advise for a student wanting to follow your career path?
00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:29.000
Don't watch CSI.
00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:32.000
It is nothing like that.
00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:38.000
I mean, obviously, you know, wrapping up a case in an hour is not realistic.
00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:42.000
And all of the little extra things they put in there of all the equipment and stuff,
00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:43.000
some of it exists.
00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:45.000
Some of it is not out there at all.
00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:51.000
Um, we don't wear high heels to crime scenes. That's not realistic.
00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:54.000
It's just like, if you have a problem with, you know,
00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:58.000
having dirt all over your face or people seeing you without makeup, this is not for you.
00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:62.000
So, I mean, there's a lot of avenues within forensics that you can take.
00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:05.000
Processing crime scenes is not glamorous.
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:08.000
If you don't want to be out in the rain in Oregon, don't do it.
00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:10.000
Um, [laughing]
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:12.000
I could go on and on and on.
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:18.000
So, I'm not really selling it, but I just want you to have a realistic idea of what it's like.
00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:22.000
Well, it was quite the sales pitch. Thanks.
00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:24.000
Thanks, Hustin.
00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:25.000
We're always hiring.
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:30.000
Uh, Cody, let's see where you go with this.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:33.000
Uh, what advice would you give a student wanting to follow your career path?
00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:36.000
Man, that's a great question.
00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:41.000
Um, I think like, one of the biggest things that helped me was just be curious.
00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:45.000
Take courses that, um, you're not super sold on.
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:50.000
Maybe do take courses that you don't even really know what might be going on
00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:54.000
or what will happen in the-- in the, um, time in that course.
00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:57.000
But, I think just being curious, getting outside of your comfort zone.
00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:61.000
I think everyone up here can kind of say, like, going through a hiring process,
00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:03.000
going through their initial training.
00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:07.000
Like, one of the-- the thing is like, you will be uncomfortable.
00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:13.000
You will have to be curious to succeed and I think that just a really big kind of,
00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:18.000
um, way you should approach courses and and, just be curious.
00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:20.000
That's great. Thank you.
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:24.000
Kevin, What would you advise folks who want to follow your career path?
00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:33.000
Um, I would just say, be willing to apply. Just be willing to put your name out there and-- and try.
00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:36.000
Because, I literally sat in the library here on campus,
00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:40.000
and when I was applying for an internship through my practicum in the CJ program.
00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:44.000
And, I had-- I knew nobody in the FBI. Not a single person.
00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:47.000
I had never met any-- I didn't even know if they were real.
00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:50.000
That how-- I was like, eh, and I'm on the--
00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:52.000
I'm on the library computer and I'm getting kind of paranoid,
00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:54.000
like are they watchin-- same thing, right?
00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:58.000
I was bold enough, wise enough, smart enough, dumb enough-- whatever.
00:25:58.000 --> 00:25:61.000
Whatever you wanna say, to just apply.
00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:04.000
Never in a million years did I think I would get an email back.
00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:07.000
And, they would say, yeah we would like to meet.
00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:09.000
And it just, it wasn't-- I didn't expect it.
00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:12.000
But, again, I was-- I was just willing to do it.
00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:16.000
So, I would say be-- be willing to hear the word 'no',
00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:18.000
because you might actually hear the word 'yes'.
00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:20.000
So, keep that in mind.
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:21.000
I like that. Thank you, Kevin.
00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:23.000
Aaron, how about you?
00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:32.000
Uh, yeah, I, that was great. I think having the confidence in yourself to take a chance.
00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:37.000
There is lots of opportunities out there in so many different agencies,
00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:40.000
job duties, there's, and there's need of it.
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:43.000
And they're in need of good, good, good people and staff.
00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:48.000
And so I think that the simplest thing is just to get as much from your time at school,
00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:49.000
or at Western, as possible.
00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:59.000
Um, be curious and, and, and, and don't stop until you are satisfied with where you're at.
00:26:59.000 --> 00:26:63.000
I like that too. It's a good panel, right?
00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:05.000
Good!
00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.000
Ben, what advice would you have for students wanting to follow your career path?
00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:12.000
Yeah, definitely echo everything everyone else has said.
00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:15.000
I also think I have a unique perspective on,
00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:18.000
like, making connections and doing the practicum
00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:20.000
for example because I wasn't able to do one,
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:22.000
um, because of when I graduated,
00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:24.000
it was right in the middle of the pandemic.
00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:27.000
So, I was trying to do one I think it was at the Polk County's DA's office,
00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:29.000
and it kind of fell through.
00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:32.000
And then they waived the requirement for the practicum altogether.
00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:37.000
And now that I'm working in this job and I've kind of started my career,
00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:40.000
I just, you know, I'm not regretful because it's not my fault,
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:45.000
but I just really wish I could have gotten that head starter earlier than I did.
00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:49.000
Um, so because I wasn't about to make those connections, once I graduated,
00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:55.000
I kind of spent a year working odd jobs and like looking for this kind of opportunity.
00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:59.000
And so my biggest piece of advice would just be to don't wait.
00:27:59.000 --> 00:27:61.000
Because like, especially those people coming out of high school,
00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:05.000
you've probably been hearing from your counselors don't, don't take a gap year.
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:09.000
Like, just go right into college. And I think that's also good advice.
00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:13.000
And it also applies to this. Like once you graduate and you have opportunities,
00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:14.000
don't pass them up.
00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:17.000
You have to jump at them.
00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:21.000
Thank you. Uh, Matt, I assume, of course, you grew up wanting to be a corrections officer
00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:24.000
and dreamt of that as a child.
00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:27.000
No! So what's funny, contrary to popular belief, nobody grows up and is like,
00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:30.000
That doesn't happen.
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:32.000
Like many, I came into Western like, oh, I'm going to be a cop.
00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:35.000
And I discovered that route.
00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:39.000
And went-- flew down to LA and got a job offer to be a cop in LA.
00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:40.000
And I went [sharp inhale],
00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:47.000
So I decided to come back up here. I had also, you know,
00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:50.000
met a pretty cool girl at the time and didn't want to leave her,
00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:52.000
who is now my wife.
00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:56.000
So that was a big part of it. And I actually started my career working with youth,
00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:58.000
uh, doing youth corrections.
00:28:58.000 --> 00:28:60.000
And what I found through that was that,
00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:03.000
well I kind of wanted to graduate up to working with adults.
00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:05.000
Working with adults is completely different than working with children.
00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:08.000
Um, they're way easier working with adults.
00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:16.000
And one thing that I discovered was, like, I always thought like,
00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:18.000
oh, I don't want to work in a prison or jail.
00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:20.000
Like, nah, I don't want to do that when I was younger like a freshman.
00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:26.000
And what I ended up discovering is that it's completely the opposite for me at least.
00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:33.000
I actually decided to try, um, getting internship with a, inside a detention center, and I loved it.
00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:35.000
And I would say, yeah, be curious.
00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:37.000
Explore.
00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:41.000
Especially those professions you think you may not want to do, give them a try.
00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:44.000
You may find out you absolutely love them,
00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:47.000
and you, um, may find that it may be your passion.
00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:50.000
Thank you.
00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.000
I want to pause for just a moment and see if there are any questions from any, anyone else.
00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:57.000
I mean, I can keep going, but if you [laughs]...
00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:62.000
The question is, coming from a DACA background, that's why I'm asking,
00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:05.000
is there any other requirements that you have
00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:08.000
that you know that you should point out for us to know?
00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:12.000
Especially like, for FBI, other than bachelors,
00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:17.000
what we should consider for looking for a position within your agency?
00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:20.000
Contrary to popular belief, too, it's not a requirement to have a bachelors degree
00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:22.000
to get into the FBI.
00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:24.000
It is a requirement for certain positions,
00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:26.000
like if you want to go become a special agent and do that,
00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:29.000
it is a requirement.
00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:32.000
There are a lot of other jobs within the Bureau that,
00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:35.000
um, just require a high school degree.
00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:40.000
However, with that being said, there's a lot of competition out there.
00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:47.000
So betting that you're going to have as much experience without a college degree,
00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:49.000
um, it-- it's going to be
00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:49.000
difficult.
00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:51.000
It's been a long time since I've looked at the requirements,
00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:55.000
um, as far as what the Bureau has.
00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:57.000
Last time I looked at them was 13 years ago.
00:30:57.000 --> 00:30:61.000
But, uh, I do know that, I did hear when I checked in this morning,
00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:05.000
that we have our recruiter here at the fair later on today.
00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:07.000
And that would be a great question for her because honestly
00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:10.000
I can't really speak on it because I'm not really informed enough.
00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:15.000
It is interesting that with some of the agencies in criminal justice,
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:17.000
you don't actually have to have a bachelor's degree.
00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:20.000
However, we have a professional advisory board for our division
00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:23.000
to make sure we're including the right things in our degrees.
00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:27.000
And what they say repeatedly is they want people who are critical thinkers,
00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:30.000
which you learn by getting a bachelor's degree,
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:31.000
and who are good writers.
00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:37.000
So if you, that's why, another reason we keep pushing the writing classes because,
00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:41.000
again, everything can be, everything needs to hold up in court.
00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:46.000
Would any of you like to add to what, how Kevin answered that question.
00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:48.000
Yeah, I'll-- I'll take a go.
00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:53.000
If you're interested in working in like, with what I'm doing specifically in mental health,
00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:58.000
part of my job requirement is getting the QMHA certification,
00:31:58.000 --> 00:31:61.000
which stands for Qualified Mental Health Associate,
00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:06.000
you can do even smaller things like becoming a notary.
00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:07.000
Part of my job is I have to notarize a lot of things.
00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:11.000
And so just yeah, small things like that
00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:13.000
to supplement your degree will go a long, long way.
00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:20.000
Even just doing small little job trainings, um, like at the Multnomah County sheriff's office,
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:23.000
they do these deescalation trainings.
00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:26.000
And you can reach out to them and ask to kind of sit in on their class
00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:27.000
that's usually what they do for their new hires.
00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:30.000
But they're always willing to work with you guys.
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:32.000
You just have to reach out.
00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:35.000
Yeah, the QMHA thing is huge, and just smaller things like,
00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:37.000
like social work stuff like notaries and stuff.
00:32:37.000 --> 00:32:39.000
Thank you.
00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:41.000
Does anyone else in the audience have a question?
00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:44.000
Let's get the microphone over to you.
00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:45.000
We'll start here and, oh, no, the microphone is closer to there.
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:47.000
We're going to start there and then come to you.
00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:50.000
This is more of a question for Aaron.
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:53.000
What-- what can you expect to see on a day-to-day basis
00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:57.000
whether you're, like, when you clock in and clock out.
00:32:57.000 --> 00:32:59.000
So working in a detention facility,
00:32:59.000 --> 00:32:64.000
typically it's probably similar to other law enforcement positions where it's,
00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:06.000
could be different day-to-day,
00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:10.000
but typically, there's, uh, there's exercise for the youth.
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.000
There's school, there's group activities, uh, CBT related--
00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:16.000
cognitive behavioral therapy groups, activities,
00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:22.000
lots of cards, games, um, and those are all the good things.
00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:28.000
And on a day where someone's having a bad day, there's a crisis intervention.
00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:33.000
There's safety protocols, keep everybody safe.
00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:39.000
And so, um, it's different every day, but typically you can rely on--
00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:44.000
you can count on it being interesting. So it's, it can be fun.
00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:46.000
Thank you.
00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:49.000
So for those of you who have been through like the police academy
00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:51.000
and the FBI academy, what is one thing you like,
00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:54.000
one thing you don't like, and one thing you would warn people about?
00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:60.000
So I, I, I went through the state police academy.
00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:02.000
So, uh, one thing I liked is that like,
00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:07.000
the physical exercise was built into your schedule.
00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:11.000
So it was nice to like, just, or I guess rather not just physical exercise,
00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:14.000
but everything is just kind of like laid out, scheduled out.
00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:16.000
Super fun.
00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:19.000
It made it really, like, good team building,
00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:21.000
like a lot of good team building stuff.
00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:24.000
One thing I didn't like was our really early wakeup days.
00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:28.000
I'm not a big, like, I can wake up early, but I work swing shift,
00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:30.000
so I'd rather just sleep in.
00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:37.000
Um, it's not like the movies and the shows and the TV where you like,
00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:39.000
it's just so much different.
00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:42.000
And, and especially in the case of like the Oregon State,
00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:45.000
or not Oregon State Police Academy, but Oregon's, the DPSST academy.
00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:51.000
The way it's set up is it's much more of a kind of college like atmosphere
00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:53.000
instead of it being very paramilitary.
00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:58.000
And so that kind of also is what I liked. But it just, just have an open mind.
00:34:58.000 --> 00:34:63.000
Just know it's not like the TV, it's not like the movies. It's much different.
00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:09.000
Do any of you have a job that's like it's portrayed on TV, in the movies? [Laughter.]
00:35:09.000 --> 00:35:12.000
Kind of?
00:35:12.000 --> 00:35:16.000
Kind of? Yeah, kind of. Like when you see in the news, people running around,
00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:18.000
like, you know, going through a manic episode, and they're running around naked,
00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:20.000
like, I've definitely had that happen a couple times.
00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:27.000
So, yeah, my job's kind of similar to what you see on TV sometimes.
00:35:27.000 --> 00:35:32.000
I'd like to wrap this up. We've got just like 6 minutes left.
00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:34.000
A minute per person, look at that!
00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:37.000
I took Dr. Sakiyama's math class, so I can do that.
00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:43.000
What is something that you think students in the audience need to know
00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:46.000
or that you want them to take out of this panel today?
00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:49.000
We, do you just want to go down the line?
00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:51.000
Oh, that puts you on first.
00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:52.000
That's alright, that's alright.
00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:55.000
One thing that I think can be kind of like, intimidating,
00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:58.000
and it certainly was for me, is like, just asking questions.
00:35:58.000 --> 00:35:64.000
If you have an opportunity to be here, um, just ask questions.
00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:06.000
Like I said, mentioned earlier, be curious.
00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:11.000
Just get an idea of either what you want to get into or what you are getting into.
00:36:11.000 --> 00:36:16.000
I think that's something I took to heart when I was here,
00:36:16.000 --> 00:36:20.000
and it really helped me kind of guide me into my profession.
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:25.000
I would say that the thing you need to know is how much the faculty here
00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:30.000
in the CJ program cares and is passionate about criminal justice as a whole.
00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.000
I actually came in as a Exercise Science major and took like,
00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:38.000
one criminal justice class because, you know like I mentioned before,
00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:40.000
like my dad and whatever,
00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:43.000
and I had David Murphy as my professor.
00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:48.000
And within the first three weeks of the class, I changed my major to criminal justice.
00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:52.000
And so, yeah, it's a really special place in general to go here.
00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:56.000
And being a part of the criminal justice program in particular, you know,
00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:62.000
you work with a lot of really good people and, and yeah, it's definitely a special program.
00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:11.000
I think a takeaway would be to take seriously the opportunities to network
00:37:11.000 --> 00:37:15.000
and get to know people that you could potentially be working with.
00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.000
One of your, you know, the person you're sitting next to in class could be your boss one day.
00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:23.000
And it might be nice to have that connection when you're on an interview panel,
00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:30.000
um, and then also, just taking seriously the ability to be monitored by the staff here.
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:37.000
I know after I got hired, Dr. Witzel was one of the first people that I was so excited to tell.
00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:40.000
I was like, "I did it, I got in!"
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:43.000
So, just definitely network.
00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:48.000
Definitely explore all your options and get involved.
00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:52.000
If there's any kind of volunteer things that you guys can go do while in school,
00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:54.000
whether it's on your weekend, get involved and do it.
00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:57.000
That's definitely something that would help you understand maybe what profession
00:37:57.000 --> 00:37:59.000
you might want to go into.
00:37:59.000 --> 00:37:62.000
One thing that I've learned just through being in a criminal justice job
00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:09.000
is learn to accept failure sometimes because there are days where things fail,
00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:11.000
and they don't go as planned.
00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:16.000
And that is something that I have taken, um, for myself.
00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:18.000
Like you have this perfect day, you have it all planned out,
00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:23.000
you have your schedule, and then, you know, something happens inside the prison,
00:38:23.000 --> 00:38:25.000
and your whole day blows up, right?
00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:30.000
So that's something that I have learned working professionally
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:33.000
to have to just roll with the punches with.
00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:38.000
And that when you get hit down, get up and keep trying. Don't give up.
00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:40.000
That's another thing. That's a big thing.
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:45.000
Um, I think a couple things. I can't stress enough exactly what we've talked about today.
00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:48.000
Writing is so important.
00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:53.000
Networking, being willing to apply for jobs even if you're not sure if you're even qualified to do it.
00:38:53.000 --> 00:38:58.000
Just put yourself out there more, um, I think will be beneficial.
00:38:58.000 --> 00:38:63.000
A couple things also to note that when I came here, I was from Portland public schools,
00:39:03.000 --> 00:39:07.000
and had never had a mentor, had never had a counselor even.
00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:11.000
And as I was making my way through Western,
00:39:11.000 --> 00:39:13.000
I noticed that especially with the CJ program,
00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:16.000
the faculty actually cared about my success.
00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:20.000
I'll say it again: the faculty actually cared about my success.
00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:23.000
And as I was going through my internship application with the bureau,
00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:28.000
I had faculty members that I would go to beforehand, like,
00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:32.000
Dr. Murphy also was,
00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:37.000
This is what our plan is. This is what we're going to do."
00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:40.000
I went up to Portland, did my polygraph, did my interviews,
00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:43.000
came back directly to his office afterwards.
00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:46.000
And just having that network there,
00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:53.000
and, and I wholeheartedly believe if it wasn't for Western and the internship opportunities
00:39:53.000 --> 00:39:56.000
and the faculty, I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have even applied.
00:39:56.000 --> 00:39:58.000
There's no way I would have even applied.
00:39:58.000 --> 00:39:60.000
But I did, and it certainly worked out.
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:06.000
I think a little bit more simpler is if you're coming to school to get an education,
00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:12.000
don't, I would encourage you to not squander that opportunity.
00:40:12.000 --> 00:40:20.000
Show up to class, um, and, uh, that's a big one. Go to class and ask questions.
00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:26.000
Be engaged and, and, and meet with these professors. Ask further questions.
00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:31.000
Show interest. And yeah, I think just showing up to class and giving all--
00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:34.000
giving it your all is a good place to start.
00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:36.000
Perfect. Thank you so much everybody.
00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:38.000
Would you join me in thanking our panel today?