Meet Some of Our Criminal Justice Students

With the Upside-Down Curriculum, you're jumping into your major-related classes right away. In my first year, I also went on a ride-along with a Vermont State Police officer. It was amazing to see another side of law enforcement—the human side you don't often see through the media.

We get to know people in the division through the EHS Signature Courses, which allow students from across majors to engage in topics. This semester, we're talking about human trafficking. We get a psychology perspective, for example, in addition to criminal justice. It's very interesting because you get contradicting opinions, and it broadens your view on global subjects.

Becoming SGA President my junior year is a great point of pride for me. The work we did and the tasks we undertook were truly a passion of mine. For example, we executed a project—the Rainbow Crosswalk—where we painted the crosswalk on South Willard Street the colors of the rainbow in honor of our LGBTQA+ community. The work we do truly can make a difference on campus.

I'm interning at the Burlington Police Department for my whole senior year. I have mostly focused on creative narratives for our bi-weekly "substat" meetings where we discuss any incidents we've had with individuals involved with substance use or serious mental health challenges. The goal of these meetings is to identify those in our community who need help, and then do outreach to gauge their interest in treatment, but also to let them know we're here, we care about them, and we want them to succeed. 

My internship has given me lots of opportunities to see how law enforcement and social work go hand in hand.

I may be biased because I'm an RA, but the sense of community in the first year residence halls is the best. I'm still friends with people I lived with my first year, and again as a Resident Assistant (RA) of that same hall when I was a junior. I hang out with my residents, and they come cheer me on at hockey games.

Social Work is one of the smallest programs at Champlain, and I love it. The small classes are extremely beneficial because we can go through real-world experiences and ask any questions we have. We are also encouraged to go into the field early and often. My third year, I took a job in the Emergency Department at the University of Vermont Medical Center doing crisis work, and I already felt prepared at that point.