Center Announces 2015 Law, Justice & Culture Certificate Cohort

The Center for Law, Justice & Culture is proud to present this year’s cohort of certificate students in Law, Justice & Culture.

“I’m looking forward to teaching LJC 2000 for the first time this spring,” says Dr. Kevin Uhalde. He will teach LJC 2000: Core Course in Law, Justice & Culture, the mandatory seminar for the incoming cohort of certificate students each spring. “It’s another excellent cohort this year, representing a range disciplines beyond sociology and political science, including psychology, literature, and journalism. They are high-achieving and highly motivated, and I’m excited to get started. My books are already on my desk and ready to go!”

The certificate program brings together interdisciplinary coursework from departments across the social sciences and humanities to provide students with intellectual training in a “law and society” perspective. It also provides opportunities for faculty mentoring through research projects, internships, externships, study abroad, and career guidance.

Enrollment in the certificate program is a competitive process modeled after selection for law and graduate schools. Students with an overall GPA of 3.4 or above are eligible for 25 slots per year. During the fall application cycle, students are asked to submit a statement of intent as well as a current transcript. Those who do not meet the GPA requirement may submit an optional essay explaining their qualifications.

Once accepted into the program, Law, Justice & Culture students enroll in LJC 2000. They are then required to take at least one LJC elective course outside of their majors to ensure that they are exposed to interdisciplinary perspectives. As they proceed through the certificate coursework, LJC students participate in the intellectual life of the center and engage in practice-oriented learning opportunities such as internships and research projects, all dealing with issues of democratic governance, social justice, and human rights.

The program is appropriate for students who plan to pursue professions in law, rights advocacy, justice administration, public policy, government, nonprofit organizations, and academic research and teaching.

Several students in this year’s cohort learned about the certificate program after enrolling in CAS 2500: Breaking the Law last semester, which is the gateway course Ohio University students to the challenges of law and justice in the 21^st century, and students with a special interest are encouraged to apply for the certificate program.

The 2016 cohort of students in the Law, Justice & Culture certificate program includes:

• Eric Boomershine is a senior in Political Science Pre-Law and Sociology-Criminology, with a minor in Psychology. He is passionate about racial discrimination, social injustice, and racial bias and differential treatment in the criminal justice system.
• Cassidy Cleland is a sophomore HTC Political Science student with an interest in political philosophy.
• Olivia Cobb is a sophomore HTC English student who sees literacy in law as a necessary pre-requisite for becoming an agent of change.
• Corbin Curtis is a sophomore HTC English student.
• Mara Diaz is a sophomore double major in Communication Studies and Spanish and Margaret Boyd scholar with a special passion for immigration law.
• Danielle Easton is a junior Political Science Pre-Law major with a minor in Sociology. She wants to works with prisoners and reentry to reduce recidivism. She is a member of Phi Alpha Delta.
• Nicholas Eaton is a sophomore Communications Studies major with a strong interest in privacy issues. He is a member of Students Defending Students and Phi Alpha Delta.
• Kendra Green is a junior with double majors in Political Science and Communication Studies.
• Christine Griershop is a sophomore Political Science major and History minor with strong interdisciplinary interests.
• Emily Hake is a junior in Political Science and Global Studies – War and Peace with a minor in History.
• Alexa Jesser is a sophomore Psychology major with a passion for criminal justice reform. She hopes to one day work for the Innocence Project. She is a member of Phi Alpha Delta, and she is the Communications Director of the OHIO Mock Trial Team.
• Annalycia Liston-Beck is a junior HTC Political Science major with minors in Sociology and Spanish. She is interested in human rights, transitional justice, and social and legal mobilizations for change, especially in international contexts such as Latin America and the Middle East. In 2015, she participated in the Spring Break study abroad program on Human Rights, Law & Justice in Northern Ireland.
• Alexandra Mannarino is a junior majoring in Sociology-Criminology. She has interned for the Summit County Juvenile Court, and she is currently on the OHIO Mock Trial Team. She hopes to attend law school.
• Olivia Mirich is a sophomore Communication Studies major with an emphasis on Public Advocacy and minors in History and Political Science. She is a member of Phi Alpha Delta, and she wants to become a lawyer.
• Sabrina Neimeister is a sophomore with majors in Psychology and Sociology-Criminology. She is interested in punishment and prisons, and she hopes to graduate early and attend graduate school. She is a member of Phi Alpha Delta.
• Sara Nolan is a sophomore Political Science major with a minor in Sociology and certificates in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Diversity Studies. She is interested in the US legal system.
• Karen Opoku is a sophomore Political Science major with a minor in Psychology. She is the International Affairs Vice Commissioner for Student Senate, and she is a member of Phi Alpha Delta and the African Students Union. She is especially interested in international law focusing on human rights. As a freshman, she took the theme gateway course, CAS 2500: Breaking the Law.
• Lindsey Radzevich is a junior student majoring in Sociology-Criminology. She is interested in criminal law, and she has completed internships for the county coroner’s office, the county sheriff’s office and the District Attorney’s office in Pittsburgh. She is also an Off-Campus Senator for Student Senate.
• Drew Savage is a junior student with a major in Strategic Communication at Scripps School of Journalism and a minor in Sports Management. He hopes to become a lawyer.
• Paige Shoemaker is a junior with a major in Sociology-Criminology and a minor in German. She is the new member liaison for Phi Alpha Delta, a student advisor for Students Defending Students, and a student services ambassador for Residential Housing. As a freshman, she took the theme gateway course, CAS 2500: Breaking the Law.
• Arianna Spalding is a sophomore with double majors in Sociology-Criminology and Psychology. She is interested in social justice and criminal justice.
• Kelsey Surmacz is a junior with a major in Communication Studies with a focus on Organizational Communications, and a minor in Political Science. She is very passionate about free speech issues, and she is the recipient of the 73 West State Street Award and a Scripps Scholarship.
• Casey Tisdale is a junior with double majors in Sociology-Criminology and Psychology and a minor in French. She comes from a family of lawyers, and her dream is to work as a behavior analyst for the FBI. She is the PACE Pre-Law Associate for CLJC, and she hopes to become a lawyer.
• Rina Welch is a junior Linguistics major with strong interests in global humanitarianism, diversity, human rights advocacy, and social justice. She has taken many different language classes, and she works as an English tutor for an Arabic-speaking family. Her dream is to work for the United Nations.