Career Roadmap
Nadine's work combines: Law, Government, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bishop Feehan High School
Bachelor's Degree
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
Northeastern University
Graduate Degree
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
Northeastern University
Doctorate
Criminology
University of Maryland at College Park
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary:
Bachelor's Degree: Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
Graduate Degree: Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
Doctorate: Criminology
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
My HS studying paid off when I got a full scholarship to college!
2.
In college I had serious depression and had to be hospitalized - it meant I had to take time off.
3.
I started graduate school with no idea what to do and got so nervous that I didn't finish my thesis on time. It took an extra month. That was really scary because I didn't know if I would finish.
4.
In my doctoral program, I failed the first comprehensive exam I took. Thankfully, you were allowed to try one extra time!
5.
I graduated after 5 years with my PhD and had two job offers to choose from!
6.
I didn't like my first job - the people were great but I wasn't spending my time the way that I enjoyed. So I left.
7.
I got offered my dream job but it meant I had to move to TX - 3500 miles from friends in family. But I said yes and I'm still happy I made that decision!
8.
I got tenure at my university, which means that they think my work is good enough that I can keep my job for life if I want to. That's pretty cool.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Teachers:
When I started my doctorate program, one professor in my master's program wrote me a very mean email telling me that I wasn't good enough to succeed and he regretted giving me a recommendation because it took me an extra month to graduate.
How I responded:
At the time, I was really upset and afraid that I was setting myself up for failure. But then I remembered that I was the one who did all the work to get the good grades that got me accepted into the program. I was really afraid when I started my doctorate program but I reached out and made friends, created a study group, and got to know all the professors. It made a huge difference! And now, that person is my colleague (life is weird) and often asks for advice. Success is the best revenge!
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I am hearing impaired. For a long time, it made me afraid to ask questions if I didn't hear something that the professor said. But I learned that telling them in the beginning made me more comfortable when I asked them to repeat something.
When I needed help, there wasn't anyone to ask (the internet didn't exist) because no one had done it before. I learned to have initiative to reach out to people to ask for help from everyone I could - counselors, advisers, teachers, and professors.