Criminal Justice Personal Statement

At first I thought I wanted to be a Doctor like my brother Joey, to save people who were dying and cure illnesses. But after taking Biology I realized that human anatomy and blood weren’t my strong suit. My sister Katy is going to become a dermatologist and has wanted to ever since our mom was diagnosed with melanoma in 2008. Her career choice was very personal since a few years later she had a cancerous mole on her leg, but I just didn’t feel the same connection to dermatology the she did. I then thought about going into law enforcement like my brother Cory, although I knew that I didn’t want to be a sheriff like my brother, law enforcement was the only career option that has ignited a spark within me, a spark that I didn’t fully consider until I combined it with my love of psychology, my career choice then flourished from a spark to an

My desire for a career in law enforcement started while pursuing my undergraduate degree at the University of Central Florida. As a freshman biology major with hopes of becoming a Radiologist, it did not take me long to realize the medical field was not for me. Peers in my classes had a passion and interest for the material that I did not possess. My grades poorly reflected the type of student I was. Realizing it was time for a change, at the end of my sophomore year I started seeking guidance. Unbeknownst to me, my disinterest in the curriculum was a major contribution to my poor performance. I completed career assessments and sat with academic counselors in several different areas of study. I was feeling more confused than ever because Criminal Justice courses often sparked my interest, but I hesitated due to the dangerous nature of police work.

Before the days when I had a confident mind about what I wanted to achieve in life in order to fulfill lifelong goals, committing to a career in service to criminal justice and law had always intrigued me as a way to earn a living. In high school there was an extracurricular Criminal Justice class that I remember having a profound impact on my life. The lessons of how the structure of the system worked as well as the importance of an honest and honorable way to earn a living played to a keen and personal interest I had in the field. At the time it was a very new post-9/11 world, and departments such as Homeland Security and other federal sectors of government were on my radar as possible outlets for a potential career. The outset of my young,

Careers based around criminology play an essential part in everyday society, both protecting and stabilising communities and all who reside in them, and over the past few years it has become apparent to me that this is a subject I find both intriguing and compelling. My interest in the subject first developed in late childhood when I became fascinated with programmes such as Scott and Bailey, which look at crime prevention and the effect crime has on society. After spending a week of work experience with the MOD police based at DSTL at Porton Down, my passion for working within this field developed further, leading to a desire to understand why criminals act the way they do. This is ultimately what has led me to apply for the Criminology course. My A levels have helped me to develop my essay writing and analytical ability, focusing on investigating theories and texts and drawing my own conclusions from them.

Last year I was belligerent on what my purpose was, and what major to study. I continued to take classes to try and determine what to study but still was not definite on what I wanted to do. There was a career counselor that I met with to assist me in knowing my strengths weaknesses as well as my interest. I then took a career test where it was revealed that my strengths was helping others and a being amongst others. I always knew that I loved assisting others and eventually in my life I wanted to somehow work with individuals who suffer from substance abuse. I desire to obtain both a bachelor in criminal justice and social work. In my heart I know that I can help people with both majors, by assisting people through law enforcement as well

Growing up I never thought about going into the medical field as a career. I did chef and restaurant management, took classes on computer repair and even working in a call center, but never did I think of anything medical. I was living my life content with what I thought was the best that I could ever accomplish. I was sitting thinking one day that I wanted to be able to truly help people. I loved watching medical shows and figured why not, I could do great in the medical field. So for the next few months I did my research and looked for the best option for me. I came across

Way back when I first started college, my priorities were not clear. I knew I wanted to do something that I can be proud of, it was only a matter of what do I really want that will fill my life and complete me as a person. I was in the manufacturing field since I was 19 years old and yet, I felt a hole in my heart. I got to a point where I stop growing as an individual and it became apparent that I wanted to do something more significant. That void became the fuel to pursue something bigger and life changing. I tried to dig deep and really tried to figure out what I want in life and at the same time I started taking classes that can go towards any degree in the medical field. Taking care of people has always been a part of me. I took care of

When I was a child, I dreamt about being a doctor helping others. I knew at the early age of 7 that I wanted to make a difference in others’ lives. After the death of my mother in 1999, I slowly changed my mind about what I wanted to do with my life. I told myself that I would do whatever it took to help bring justice for families that go through what I went through with the death of my mother. As I was going through college I realized that criminal justice wasn’t for me after working in the field. I sat there one day wondering what I would do next and I realized I have a passion for helping others; and I love babies, so why not use that to my advantage. That is how I ended up here at Southern Careers Institute pursuing a career in the

I used to think the only road to happiness was having a fancy degree from a private school which would lead to a life of luxury and ease. I thought that if I became a doctor, I could be happy because my work could be my family. I never wanted a family when I was younger, so I thought a doctor’s schedule could fill my days. Also, I never thought about the reality of going to school for twelve years and the debt that endeavor would eventually accumulate. Over the course of four years I have spent in high school, my plans have changed into a realistic career

y work and personal experiences have influenced my decision to go back to college and my degree choice greatly. I would like to attain my degree in Criminal Justice to further my goals in the career I have already begun. Having over 8 years of experience in the youth correctional field, I am confident in my decision to further my education in criminal justice. I started working for the Division of Youth Corrections (DYC) in 2007 as an Administrative Assistant and through training and dedication to the victims I served, became a Certified Victim Advocate through the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance. Part of my responsibilities included assisting victims through the critical stages of the adjudication process. I attended court hearings,

As a child, I always wanted a career enforcing the law. Weather it was with the police department or criminal justice was undecided at that time. As I grew older I pulled more to the fence of criminal justice. Simply because I do not like the way the system is set up.

Throughout the majority of my life, I had dreams of becoming an attorney and did not consider medicine as a profession until much later in my academic career. I had previously pictured myself pursuing a career in intellectual property rights and hoped to become a patent attorney, given my interest in the scientific field. My interest in patent law led me to take science courses that piqued my curiosity. I soon found myself involved in undergraduate laboratory research, focused on discovering new drugs to treat chronic pain syndromes while preventing drug tolerance and limiting the side effects of conventionally used narcotic pain medications. During my last year of college, I was accepted into law school, however I ultimately did not feel that I was truly pursuing my passion and decided to withdraw my acceptance. I then found myself with a college degree and an unclear direction in life, unsure of what new career I wanted to pursue. Shortly after graduating, I discovered a medical scribe vacancy in my hometown's Emergency Department (ED). Working as a scribe in the ED was a profound experience that undoubtedly shaped my career path and inspired me to become a physician and apply to medical school.

To work in the field of criminal justice, whether with rehabilitating offenders or in research analysis, has always been a goal of mine stemming from the beginning of my undergraduate studies at Lakeland University. It is in the Reentry Unit of the Department of Corrections, that there is the emphasis to work with offenders in order to reduce recidivism with the focus of providing support in educational programming, skill building, and goal planning to prepare offenders for community reintegration. Overall, the Reentry Unit of correctional system is an integral portion that provides a pathway for offenders to reintegrate.

On top of this I became my mother’s therapist. Her stress was always taken out on me, since nobody else was around. She would cuss at me, scream at me, and often remind me of my flaws. This all became too much for me, and by the seventh grade, I was considered an At-Risk Teen for suicide. As my family had resulted to drugs for pain, I resulted to razor blades. Cutting had been something I have struggled with heavily for about three years. Thankfully, I received help from a psychologist and gained my health back. Overcoming my adversity has taught me to use my childhood as a sense of motivation to be different than my family, and to create a future for myself. I began to get heavily involved with volunteer work, academics, and college predatory programs as a way to handle my toxic home life. In high school. I have managed a 4.0 GPA and have worked to be at the top ten percent of my class. I plan to create a great future for myself; I hope to go to a prestigious college and receive a bachelor’s degree in neuropsychology. After college, I plan to attend medical school, and with hard work and effort, become a neurosurgeon. Since I was a child, medical has been something that greatly impacted my life. Mental

Being an older, non-traditional college student with 36 years of life experience behind me I thought I had my life figured out. Academically, I would take the degrees that I already have, coupled with the joint Bachelor’s degree I am about to receive from St. Mary’s University, go to law school earn my J.D. Become a practicing attorney and watch the life I have always wanted start to unfold. When given this assignment however, I began to seriously question myself about my passions in life and an immense dissonance overwhelmed me. Nearing 40 years old, I have felt for some time, that I should have in order what I want to do with my degrees and my life for that matter. If I was honest with myself, I do not and therefore, began to do a lot