Public Safety Administration Student Sees Law Career on the Horizon
The term 鈥渏uvenile justice鈥� invariably conjures up visions of kids who have run afoul of the law.聽 Thankfully, Meline Safaryan鈥檚 experience placed her on the right side of the bench.
鈥淭hroughout my high school years, I was involved in the school鈥檚 teen mock court program,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淭he program gave juvenile offenders a choice to not be tried in court but instead to go through an adjudication process that helped students learn about the criminal justice system.鈥� In addition to the accused, the teen court consisted of a bailiff, 12 jurors and a plaintiff. The bailiff would recap the key elements of the case, at which point jurors had a chance to ask the juvenile offender questions. Jurors would later deliberate on an appropriate remedy — community service, apology letter, etc.
For Meline, that exposure to the mocks system stuck. During a field trip to Woodbury as a high school senior鈥揹uring which she learned about the university鈥檚 new Public Safety Administration program (PSA)鈥搒he had a clarifying moment. 鈥淚 was inspired to major in PSA after that visit,鈥� she says. Through the teen court program and popular culture generally, she had long been interested in the field, but she hadn鈥檛 yet seen a distinct path to a career.聽 Suddenly, 鈥渋t all felt very clear that it was exactly what I wanted to do.鈥�
Her sights are now set on a career in law. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure about whether to pursue defense or prosecution, public sector or private practice, but the PSA program has already shown me both the strengths of our criminal justice system and its limitations,鈥� she says. She prides herself on her organizational skills and calls her notes 鈥渕y holy grail.鈥�
The university鈥檚 small class sizes initially attracted her to Woodbury. 鈥淚 knew that I couldn鈥檛 handle being in classes with over a hundred students,鈥� Meline says. 鈥淚 liked how I got one-on-one time with my professors and how they truly care.鈥� 聽She鈥檚 now considering a minor in psychology: 鈥淢ental health is such a huge part of the criminal justice system — it seems important, if not mandatory, that everyone involved in the system has knowledge in that area.鈥�
She is also delighted to be a part of the PSA program鈥檚 inaugural cohort. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing knowing that we get to go through the whole program together,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten very close as a class. It鈥檚 an honor to be a pioneer, and I鈥檓 just happy to be involved in any way that I can.鈥�