Life Update

Thought I'd offer a quick update on my life! I seem to be getting asked a lot about what I'm currently up to! I'm finishing up my degree this May. I will be graduating with a master's degree in criminology with a focus area in human behavior. I decided to take on the focus area of human behavior because I love learning about the minds of criminals and why people choose to do certain things while other people do not. I find it so sad that people do these horrendous things to others, but I find it interesting to study! I hope to contribute to my field someday with proactive policies that could lead to the decrease in victims overall. I think that the criminal justice system is very focused on reactive policies and care, which I think is great but I think a focus should be on proactive action. If we can deter people from committing crimes in the first place, we can reduce the victims. If we can show people what might make them a potential target, we can also reduce victims. Then, if someone does become a victim, we need to get to a point where we can offer them the best care possible. This means reform, reform, reform. So it's safe to say that I am incredibly passionate about this field! I can't wait to get into the work force and to start making a difference in people's lives!

But before that! I will be attempting to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Now, I've mentioned this before but I'll mention it again! The plan is to hike from the Mexican border in California into Canada! I'm hoping that the hike takes no more than 4 months (hopefully less)! I currently have most of the gear that I will need out on trail! It's going to be a mad dash once I graduate and drive home to Phoenix! I leave within a week of getting home for the trail, so it's going to be a quick turn around!

Like I said earlier, I am finishing up my last semester of graduate school! I am currently swamped! I overloaded on course work for these first 8 weeks and then will be tackling my thesis the last 8 weeks. I am taking my research analysis class in which we write our research proposal for our thesis!! I am also taking a forgiveness and reconciliation class! I'm finding the research class a little more daunting just because I had to come up with my thesis topic in about 3 days because I didn't realize I needed a topic! Anyways! I ended up picking Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) as my thesis topic. It's something that I have seen first hand when I did my ride along in Florida and I've seen it with people I know in my own life. It's scary, sad and frustrating all at the same time. I hope to bridge the gap between victims of IPV and service providers so that the victims can get the care that they need.

So after this thesis, and after this hike, I will be applying for the police academy in the Phoenix Metro Area. I will actually apply for the Denver Police Department this February but since I will be gone for the whole summer, I am more applying to get experience! I want to move back to Phoenix! It's a little daunting (the whole process) and it can take up to 6 months! So when I get back I will be applying to a ton of departments! I have been getting into shape over the past 6 months and focusing immensely hard on my studies! It's scary that I will be entering the work force soon, but I know that this is what I want to do with my life! So I'm excited as well! I'll be interested to see what my life looks like in 1 year! There's a lot of really cool stuff coming up for me, and I couldn't be more excited!