- Name:
- Jennifer Stepanek
- Major:
- Criminal Justice
- Minor
- Psychology
- Year:
- Senior
- Home:
- Wild Rose, WI
During my senior year of high school, I researched several universities and found that UW-Platteville was ranked eighth in the nation for criminal justice. I knew Platteville would be a wonderful university where I would be able to get an excellent education. I have looked back at these statistics and have found that UW-Platteville is still ranked among the top universities for its criminal justice programs. I love this university and the friendly, personal environment it has. Attending UW-Platteville has now become a tradition in my family. Both of my parents, and many of my aunts, uncles and cousins are alumni. The tradition lives on as my brother and I have both chosen UW-Platteville as our alma mater.
Many professors at UW-Platteville have an open door policy and are always willing to sit down and talk about anything. I love being able to know my professors on a more personal level. It is nice to stop and talk to them about various classroom lectures or about school in general. The professors are very knowledgeable in their fields and they all have first hand experience working in the criminal justice system. Professor Edward Ross has definitely impacted my education in criminal justice. He does an outstanding job of making his students think and question exactly what it is they are studying. The criminal justice courses are always fun and interesting; you never know what might happen during one of your classes.
I am honored to be one of the founding members of UW-Platteville chapter of UMADD. UMADD is a campus based student organization comprised of student, campus and community leaders and law enforcement personnel who are concerned about underage and high-risk drinking behaviors. UWP is among 15 other universities who have joined the UMADD national organization. I am very excited to be involved in this organization. I feel that students constantly need to be reminded about responsibilities associated with drinking. UMADD offers students an opportunity to become more involved on campus by taking a leadership role to address these issues. I am excited to see this program further develop in the future and I am proud that UWP is leading Wisconsin in the fight against these high-risk behaviors.
I had the most outstanding internship this summer with Waupaca Country Health and Human Services working in social services. I was unsure as to what aspect of social work I wanted to work in; therefore, I was able to act in several different roles to get a broad idea of what the program had to offer. I saw and experienced parts of the criminal justice system that I had only previously been able to learn about in classroom lectures or textbooks. The agency was wonderful, allowing me to gain hands on experience working with clients and their families. I was trained and worked with certified social workers. The experience was unforgettable and gave me skills that I will take with me for the rest of my life.