WP3-Finding My Passion in Criminal Justice by Steph Adado

CSI Las Vegas- A pivotal moment for me

stephadado66 — 2023-11-03 00:18:58 UTC

There is not one specific scene that comes to mind when i first discovered my passion for criminal justice and forensic science/pathology, but this show set the stepping stone for me as I started to be enthralled with the career when I first watched it at 10 years old. My mom would get mad at me for doing so, but to me- it was fascinating. I didn't glamorize death, but the way the Crime Scene Investigation found ways to find out how the person died, what were the circumstances, who caused the death, I was hooked. It was as interesting to me in a way nothing had been before. I knew I wanted to go into the career as this young age.

I would not only watch this show, but many others- criminal minds, cold case, csi miami, law and order. It was the only thing in my life that has been a constant for me since 10 years old.

Accelerated Education at LCC

stephadado66 — 2023-11-03 00:19:27 UTC

As I grew into my teenage years, I was presented with an opportunity that would change the course of my high school and college career. As a high school student, I was able to take 18 college credits my junior and senior year in criminal justice classes through the Eaton RESA program. These classes introduced me to the foundation of how our criminal justice system works, including juvenile, corrections, policing and the court system. I took these foundational classes after I graduated and had a jump start with my degree.

These classes also opened my eyes to what it meant to go into criminal justice, as we had police officers, forensic scientists come in and talk about their day to day life.

I also got to do a job shadow with the CSI department at Lansing Police Department. What this meant to me was that I got to experience firsthand what my future may look like, and the different options I had that I could pursue. This furthered my interest a lot.

There are direct connections to who I am and how this relates to the career I want to go into. I have always been the type of person that asks questions, about the world and people themselves. Inquiry is a large part of criminal investigation, the who, why, what and how. As a little girl I was always curious about things and how they worked, what the end result was and how that came to be.

I always wanted to help people, and to aid in finding justice for victims of violent crimes.

The human body always fascinated me too, and the fragility of it. I think learning how people stay alive and how they die could be viewed as morbid, but to me it was something that I felt was important in understanding purpose in life.

Coming to MSU and what I hope to gain

stephadado66 — 2023-11-21 08:38:43 UTC

Getting accepted into MSU was very exciting for me. My journey from starting at LCC, going to Ferris State for a semester through LCC, then applying to MSU and taking classes a year later at 25 years old had been a journey.

I knew they had a superior criminal justice program, and a graduate program for forensic anthropology.

I would hope that 2 years at MSU would help prepare me to not only know how to communicate in my profession, but also write professionally too. I would hope that MSU teaches me to be a contributing member of society, someone that gains the intelligence and knowledge it takes to have an actual job in this career. I also hope MSU opens my mind to different perspectives and possibilities, so that I can go out into the world and learn to be nonjudgemental, and receptive to things I may not agree with or understand at the moment. Besides the education, I think MSU will help me with becoming confident in my abilities to interact with other professionals in my chosen career, and feeling confident in my decision making.

i just couldn't see myself working in another profession, as this in the only thing that truly intruigues me and feel like it is my purpose in life.

My story continues

stephadado66 — 2023-11-21 12:37:30 UTC

I think whether it's me working in the court system to help change the inequalities within the system, doing detective work for violent crimes, working as a forensic pathologist performing autopsies and doing death investigations, I would be performing my passion. From the time I was 10, I just knew that I didn't want to do anything else. There are many careers within criminal justice that I could go into, but all of them I am helping people and their loved ones, to find justice, peace and answers.

These opportunities have provided me with enough insight into the world of criminal justice, albeit after doing this interview has given me a lot more knowledge and respect for that career and how the day to day is.