The Bluefield University School of Criminal Justice hosted law enforcement officers and other justice administration professionals as guest speakers during the week of October 21-25, allowing students to further explore their career interests with the perspectives of experienced workers and successful alumni.
Having guest speakers enables the students to discover the many facets of their intended field, Dr. Kimberly Farmer, Dean of the School of Criminal Justice, explained. “It is critical that we give them connections,” she said, sharing her goal of encouraging her students with the variety of available careers and alumni who have been in their shoes.
Virginia State Police Trooper Tracey Parker ‘18 served as the first guest speaker of the week, discussing his career in Dr. Farmer and Dr. Disibbio’s Criminology and Law Enforcement night class on Monday, October 21. Parker, an alumnus of the baccalaureate criminal justice program, serves as an officer in Tazewell County, Virginia, and was recently inducted into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
Joe Riffe and Dawn Allen from the FCI McDowell camp of the Federal Bureau of Prisons spoke to the Substantive Criminal Law and Introduction to Criminal Justice classes on Wednesday, October 23. They discussed the prison environment from an employee’s perspective, jobs within the industry, pay rates, and entry requirements.
Senior Trooper Gavin Scott of the Virginia State Police spoke to several classes on Friday, October 25 about the process of joining the state police force and shared some anecdotes from his time as a trooper.
“It is very encouraging to see alumni succeed, especially coming from a smaller school like Bluefield,” student Emma Vickers said. “It would be really cool to have more guest speakers.”
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