For starters, I am TERRIBLE at anything science.

The grades on my high school report cards may tell you different, but I promise you I've never been more confused than when someone tried to explain formulas from their chemistry class to me! I've never even taken chemistry! The ironic part of it all is that for my entire childhood, all I wanted to do was work with nature. Everything from a zoologist or a marine biologist to a conservationist. I LOVE nature. Animals, plants, the ocean, you name it. There's a soft spot in my heart for anything conservation related. But I am absolutely terrible at science! My mom, on the other hand, knows everything related to science! That's why she's a nurse.

So HOW did I end up choosing to be a criminal justice major?

The easiest answer is: my mom. My mom actually originally intended on going to school for psychology and has been reading about true crime for as long as she can remember. She even worked at an institution for the mentally ill for most of my childhood. I have very vivid memories of the Investigation Discovery channel being on every single day and watching episodes with my mom! Even to this day, Investigation Discovery is on our TV all the time and our bookshelves and stacked full of true crime stories! My interest in criminal justice and true crime is most definitely derived from my mother's interests in psychology!

To answer your next question: NO, I DON'T want to be a cop!

I have no interest in being a cop, actually. I'm more interested in working in a prison or on a juvenile detention center as a "counselor" for the inmates. I've also been very drawn towards fighting against human trafficking or even being a counselor for victims. Just like my mother, I'm drawn towards helping people and the psychology behind their actions!

Switching Majors

I had my mind set on being an international studies major for the longest time! I only toured colleges that offered international studies and I even spoke with multiple people from the international studies department at my college. My dream was to get paid to travel the world. But the question that always got me was - "but.. what JOB do you want?" I could never answer that question. Honestly, I had no idea. I had no interest in being a diplomat or helping in less fortunate countries. I seriously just wanted to travel and have someone else pay for it! This is one of the reasons I switched my major. I had no idea what I wanted to do with it, not even a clue. I also realized that at some point I want to settle down and have a family. It's hard to do that when I have a trip to Europe for business every month! Even so, everything I wanted to with international studies related to criminal justice in a way. Human trafficking, terrorism, psychology, and so on. Criminal justice was just the more logical route - and no one said I can't still travel!