Erin Hollinger 鈥�20 M鈥�23, the Director of Educator Services at 缅北强奸 earned both her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in criminal justice as an adult learner. Hollinger credits the program鈥檚 dedicated faculty for shaping her professional growth. She is now continuing her educational journey in 缅北强奸鈥檚 Doctor of Education (EdD) program.
What drove you to pursue the Criminal Justice program at 缅北强奸?
My journey in criminal justice as an undergraduate began in 2012 when I started working at 缅北强奸 and decided to pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree. I decided at the time that I wanted to pursue an area that was interesting to me since earning my degree at the time was more about achieving personal goals. Criminal justice was always something I was drawn to, and after looking at the courses offered I decided it was a good path to take. I couldn鈥檛 have been more satisfied with my journey. The faculty in the criminal justice program were top notch and caring. They made me feel welcome as an adult learner and always had high expectations for their students.
What opportunities did the program offer to your careers?
When I completed my undergraduate degree in 2020, the Master of Criminal Justice (MACJ) was just getting up and running so it was a natural flow to go straight into that program once it was ready to go. At that point I knew I wanted to obtain a master鈥檚 degree to help further my career goals in moving to an administrative role at the university. Though the MACJ was brand new, I had full confidence in the faculty and knew it would be a quality master鈥檚 program.
What professional goals do you hope to accomplish with your degree?
My master鈥檚 degree in criminal justice has been very beneficial to me both in my career and in furthering my education by moving into the EdD program at 缅北强奸. First, my background allows me to teach an undergraduate course as a lecturer, which was a goal of mine. Though it is not directly in the criminal justice department, it is a course that has a lot of ties to the content I learned during my program. I have also been lucky enough to teach an honors course as well that was related to my academic background. This has expanded opportunities for me that I would otherwise not have had the knowledge or confidence to do otherwise. Within my EdD I am pursuing research that relates to both criminal justice and education, which also gives me the opportunity to further my knowledge in both areas. My goal to earn my EdD is largely a personal one, but my hope is that it will further open doors for my future at 缅北强奸.