- Student; On Campus
When Sara Litch was growing up, her role model was her mother, a teacher who worked with disadvantaged adults, including many who had gotten into trouble with the law.
“They were on welfare and from their views, the criminal justice system was horrible,” says the justice studies student. “I wanted to explore the other side of it.”
Sara had her first taste of law enforcement as a Police Explorer when she was 13.
“We worked with the police department, helping with traffic details, crosswalk details,” she says.
At SNHU, Sara is president of the campus Justice Studies Association and holds jobs as a resident assistant and gate house attendant, a public safety role. She completed an eight-month internship with the Middlebury, Vt., police department and now works there as a dispatcher during her “free” weekends.
“I fell in love with the people and the police department,” she says.
Always a serious student, Sara says she enrolled at SNHU thinking she would “waste” a few years before starting her real education at the police academy. Instead, she discovered that the justice studies program encompasses the law, psychology, sociology and more.
“One of the benefits of college is also one of the drawbacks,” Sara says. “It opens your eyes to so many more fields, and it’s hard to navigate through everything.”
Thanks to engaged and supportive professors and classmates, Sara says she’s had plenty of help in making her way.
“Even the classes I thought wouldn’t be interesting, were,” she says.
