My interest in forensic science started with a forensic science elective course in high school. I've always enjoyed completing puzzles and figuring out patterns so to learn about a field that basically deals with puzzles all the time, it was perfect. Even when I didn't know what exactly I wanted to do in life, I knew that I wanted to do something that involved science. When it came time to apply to colleges, I finally knew what I wanted to go for but I didn't know how to go about getting there. It was during a call with an advisor at Arizona State University that I learned about their amazing forensic science program and all that they planned to add to it. Even though I didn't get offered scholarships by Arizona State University, I knew that their forensic science program was the one that I wanted to go through. In the three years that I've been in this program I've gained an interest in the work done by crime scene investigators and in medical examiner's offices. With graduation a little over a year away I've been getting closer to my goal. I've already been looking into internships and volunteer options at my county's medical examiner office and police department. My goal is to get as much experience in both crime scene investigation and working at a medical examiner's office to help determine which area of forensic science I would be a better fit for and to be able to learn more about the different sections of forensic science. I want to be able to use my degree to help others to the best of my abilities while doing something that I enjoy.

I chose to major in Forensic Science because I want to be able to help people. Several of my family members all work in the healthcare field so I've grown up hearing all about how they have been able to help people. Despite being interested in the medical field I wasn't really interested in working in a hospital setting like a nurse would. I chose Forensic Science because I found it to be a really interesting field after I took an elective course on it in high school and it also connects with the medical field. By going into Forensic Science I could help people find closure for the traumatic events that they unfortunately had to deal with while being able to do something that I love. With a degree in Forensic Science, there are so many possibilities in how I could end up helping others; whether that's working in a lab, a medical examiner's office, or somewhere else. Currently, I'm interested in working in a medical examiners office helping with the autopsies or even with going over the crime scene to find evidence. Even though this particular field deals with a lot of gruesome and terrible things constantly, it seems worth dealing with if you're able to use what you find to help a grieving family or even help improve the medical field for others. The field of Forensic Science is constantly growing and improving to be better able to help people and that is something that I want to be a part of.

Whenever people ask me about college and my major, it is always exciting to see how they would react when I tell them I'm majoring in forensic science. While a few people would look shocked at my chosen major, many would be interested in forensics and why I would choose it. Several of them expressed their interest in forensics but felt they didn't have a strong enough stomach to deal with everything the field entails. While it is true that forensics isn't for everyone, that saying could be said for any other field. If there is something that you enjoy doing, you should find a way to be able to do it. Over the past few years, I have seen several things that sparked my interest in forensic science. In high school, I chose to take a forensic science course as an elective. I became fascinated with the science involved and the different ways that forensic science can help people. I still find it fascinating to learn about DNA profiling and all that it can do. Science is always one of my favorite courses, although it can be challenging sometimes, so I knew that whatever major I picked, I would want it to involve science. In addition to taking forensic science in high school, there were a few books that added to my interest in forensic science. One of the books that stuck with me the most was "Three Minutes to Doomsday" by Joe Navarro. While reading about one of the cases that Navarro did as an FBI agent I couldn't help but be fascinated by all that he did. Another book that further brought my interest in forensic science was "Death's Acres" by Dr. Bill Bass, which talks about the creation of the Body Farm and the different studies they did there. It was exciting to learn how important the Body Farm is, especially in helping the field of forensic science to move forward. Both of these books, and others like them, made me realize that forensic science was a field that I was interested in being involved in. Forensic science isn't just exciting because of the science aspect of it but also because it offers a way to help people by doing something I want to spend my life doing. There is a certain thrill in finding pieces of a puzzle that can help you find out the truth of a situation. Even though there is a lot of responsibility and possible pressure, it is still worth it to be able to do something good in life. I've always wanted to help others, and a career in forensic science allows me to do that.

I grew up around a lot of dogs, whether it was our own or ones we saw a lot when we visited family and friends. We had to give up our old dog to our aunt when we moved states because we couldn't take her with us. Although we were able to see her every summer when we visited our aunt, it just wasn't the same as having our own. Recently, we just got another dog, Thor, who is a German Shorthair Pointer mix. Even though he is about four years old he still acts like an energetic puppy sometimes. Because of the breed that he is, he's super loyal and eager to please which makes it easy to train him. He's also a really smart dog. When I was in high school he would know when it was time to leave for school and when it was time for our dad to go get us. Dad would say that he would know it was time to go get us from school because Thor would go find him and then sit by the door ready to go. Thor is very good at watching and doing what he is supposed to without any of us asking him to. Several of my family members, including me, are at home a lot; either because they work at home or have online courses for college. Meaning Thor always has someone to be with throughout the day. He really likes being able to be with people and will go around the house checking in on everyone to make sure they are okay. It is not uncommon to go by someone's room, or the office, and see Thor laying near whoever is working in there. When I'm doing schoolwork he will lay on my feet under my desk just to be close to me. He's also really good at making sure I take breaks throughout the day. A lot of times he'll walk up and hit me with his nose to get my attention. Even my dad comes out of his office throughout the day to find Thor and bother him. In reality, Thor is like our unofficial emotional support dog making sure we're doing okay. Not only is Thor super sweet and loyal, but he's also very protective. He can be very aware of everything around him and even outside of our house. I noticed that he when he's in my room he will lay down facing the door to be able to see who's coming by. There have been several instances when my brother would walk in the house with a hat and sunglasses on and Thor wouldn't recognize him. He can go from an energetic puppy to guard dog pretty quickly and can even get apologetic when he realizes that he actually knows the person he thought was a threat. It's nice knowing that if we were ever in danger that he would be there to protect us. Overall, as we have Thor for longer he becomes more and more a part of the family. Sometimes it's hard to believe that we've had him for almost four years by now because he just fits in with us so well. He is the perfect companion who loves sleeping in in the morning with me and will always make sure I take the time to give him the love and attention he deserves.

Whenever I would tell people about the major that I am going for they usually look surprised or question whether I am actually interested in it. Maybe their expression is because of me or because of the the major I decided on, I don't know. Throughout my life I always knew that I would major in something to do with science because I found those classes super interesting. I've taken several different science classes over the years: the three main science classes, marine science, and forensic science. It seems fitting that the person who had influenced what I decided to actual major in would be one of my science teachers. While a lot of people influenced my life, the person who helped me to decide on forensic science as a major was my forensic science teacher in high school. Unlike some teachers, she made the coursework enjoyable and interesting. One of the activities that we did was to create a mock crime scene and then walk through the steps of solving it. This activity allowed us to understand what it would be like to actually investigate a crime scene. In addition, during the discussion based assessments she would always ask questions that would help us see things from different perspectives. For example, the affect media has had on people's perspective of forensics. Popular TV shows and movies have caused people to think of forensics differently than what it is actually like. Even the discussion post assignments let us work out our understanding of forensic science by talking with other peers in the class. I think it is because my forensic science teacher had us work through the different prompts on our own or together that I developed such an interested in it. She didn't just give us the information, but had us think about it and talk through it with each other. Before I took the class I was unsure about what I wanted to do in life. I would look at different careers that interested me but none of them really seemed to be something that I would want to do for a long time. After taking forensic science I wanted to know more about the subject and the different careers that it offered. I've read several books about forensics and even criminology that were super interesting. These books just made me realize that forensic science was something that I would be interested in majoring in. It's because of teachers that have a passion for the subject they are teaching that I was able to find what I wanted to do in life.

Ever since I took a class on Forensic Science it has been my goal to get a degree in that field. I can remember one of the projects we had for that class was to create a mock crime scene that we would solve over the semester. I found it super interesting to see how all the pieces of the crime scene came together and completing the steps to go through the process of solving the crime scene. Taking that class allowed me to find the degree that I want to get, but there are a lot of steps in order to get there. I've already applied to ASU Online for a Forensic Science bachelor's degree and am working on completing the enrollment process. Over the past four years I have worked hard to earn high grades in the hopes that it would give me a better chance at a good scholarship for ASU, and I can proudly say that I was able to achieve that goal and graduate summa cum laude. I will continue to work hard for the next four years to be able to achieve this goal and graduate college with a bachelor's degree in Forensic Science.