Why Adrian?
Whatever your background, Adrian College can provide you with the skills and experience you need to realize your dreams.
Why Adrian?
Whatever your background, Adrian College can provide you with the skills and experience you need to realize your dreams.
Undergraduate Studies
We offer an undergraduate program of study that’s small enough to be personal
Graduate Studies
Pursuing your dream career starts with the next phase of your education. When you enroll in graduate school at Adrian College, you’re beginning more than advanced training in your field; you’re accelerating your professional journey.
Posted Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Author: Claire Simpson
Much like many other prospective students, Amber Firth stepped on Adrian College’s campus during an admissions tour and immediately felt at home. After learning about the Criminal Justice and Social Work programs, she knew she wanted to be a part of the Bulldog community.
One month after graduating from Adrian College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice in May of 2021, Firth was back in Adrian, MI from her home in Bethlehem, Pa., working as a jail intake officer at the Lenawee County Sheriff Department. Day-to-day work for Firth included booking and releasing inmates, working with bondsmen and the ankle monitor program, charging inmate booking fees, and creating/updating court sheets.
“I was definitely prepared for that job,” Firth said. “Going to Adrian College and having my degree put me in a really good spot with the things I’ve learned.”
After having other opportunities arise, Firth is now working at the Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority as a Support Coordinator/Case Manager. She attributes her success to her professors who continuously worked with her during her four years at Adrian College and through COVID-19.
Adrian College was recently ranked number five on the list of Midwest colleges for “Best Undergraduate Teaching” by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022 edition of America’s Best Colleges. The rankings focused on administrators and faculty members from a school being committed to teaching students in a high-quality manner.
Firth accredited two professors at Adrian College that went above and beyond and were always available to help. She noted that Dr. Cedrick Heraux, a professor in Sociology and Criminal Justice and Firth’s advisor, wrote one of her reference letters for her current position and has even reached out to her since. Dr. Jennifer Towns, a professor in Social Work, was the other person Firth spoke highly of, saying she thoroughly enjoyed her curriculum. She described Towns as always being available to help or listen, whether it was about class or not. Towns facilitated Firth with her internship in Social Work while attending Adrian College.
Despite COVID-19 trying to interrupt the 2020 academic year, Firth acknowledged that the college and her professors made the transition feel easy. Being an upperclassman, the small class sizes and having the same people in most of her classes really helped.
During her time at Adrian College, Firth put both her major and minor to work by interning at the juvenile probation department in Adrian, MI and the Catherine Cobb Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center. The Catherine Cobb Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence by offering services such as shelter, a crisis line, counseling and support groups, transitional supportive housing, non-residential services, children’s programming and a first response team.
Looking towards the future, Firth would like to continue her career within the juvenile probation system.
“I really want to get into juvenile probation, that’s my goal. I feel like everybody deserves a second chance. Especially in the corrections and rehabilitation side of criminal justice because it’s something I can give someone before it’s too late,” Firth said. “I knew I wanted to help people in that sense, so that’s why I worked towards a social work minor as well.”
Working within the juvenile probation system, Firth’s duties would entail meeting with parents and kids regularly to guide them and provide them with requirements that would need to be met. Firth would also work with their school, administer drug tests and make house calls.
“I took a couple of classes in court procedures and different types of crime, I definitely left prepared. Especially once I heard about the juvenile probation position. With me doing my internship there, that gave me a better chance of possibly getting an interview and them seeing that I’ve been on this track towards probation and rehabilitation.”
From prospective student feeling “at home” on the 143-acre campus to an Adrian College graduate in her profession, Firth wasted no time getting to work and starting her career.
Firth was extremely pleased with her decision to attend Adrian College.
“The best experiences I’ve had were those four years,” she said.
For more information about opportunities at Adrian College, visit adrian.edu.