The Best Decision I've Ever Made
When I first visited the Berkeley College Woodland Park campus for a tour, I enjoyed hearing from current students and faculty members about the Berkeley experience and how it is a tight-knit environment. I loved the fact that it is close to home, the professors teach through experience and work closely with their students, and that I was not labeled with a number. Being acknowledged by my name rather than being associated with a number made me feel important. I want people to know about me, as well as me getting to know everyone at Berkeley College. I tell my parents every day that Berkeley College was the best decision I made as the college for me. Not to mention, my mother is a Berkeley College graduate!
My experience so far at Berkeley College has been great. I am very happy that I chose this school to study for my degree in Criminal Justice with a Concentration in Homeland Security. I have made many friends and with the help of my professors, the sky is the limit. Berkeley’s Criminal Justice program is just what I was looking when I was searching for colleges during my senior year of high school. Not only do your professors work with you every day to further your education and help you gain knowledge about the workforce, but your career advisor works with you from the start of your freshman year to help you get that full-time job before you graduate from Berkeley. With the help of my career advisor, Jaime Pardo and Professors Link and Krulish, I have met with the New Jersey State Police, the ATF, the DEA, and so many other bureaus within the law enforcement field to learn more about their positions and how they help society. Remember, I am only a freshman—yet I’ve already met with multiple, high-level agencies.
Campus life here in Woodland Park is very active. There is something new going on every day and the students really get involved. So far, the New York Red Bulls came on to campus and played soccer with us. Our President, Michael Smith, came to visit us recently as well to speak to all of the students and faculty members about how our college experience is going so far and asked if there is anything that we would like to incorporate at Berkeley College. I currently work for the High School Admissions Office at the Woodland Park campus under Carol Covino, which I absolutely love doing. I love talking to potential students about what Berkeley College has to offer in terms of education and how lively and tight-knit our campuses are. It is a great experience for me because I meet new people and learn about different cultures and educational wants.
After I graduate with my undergraduate degree from Berkeley College, my dream job is to be a police officer. However, before that should happen, I plan on continuing my education and attending graduate school to receive my Master’s degree. I feel that down the road, having continued my education will only help me have a better chance of getting additional job opportunities and be exposed to greater networking opportunities within different law enforcement departments.
