Tara (Smith) Brewster
Tara (Smith) Brewster ’15 is a Juvenile Probation Officer/I-VE Case Manager with the Fairfield County Juvenile Court.
After graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in Sociology-Criminology, Brewster worked at the Athens County Sheriff’s Office as a 911 dispatcher. From there, she moved on to helping youth by becoming a juvenile probation officer.
In her current role, she is responsible for supervising youth that are on community control/probation. Brewster ensures they are following their court orders and connects them with the various services available to them (mentoring, academics-tutoring, evening programs, supervision, work-force development, etc.).
She is responsible for a caseload around 15 kids, with charges ranging from misdemeanors to felony convictions. She also works with their families to develop case plans for their child’s probation – plans which require family participation.
The Best Part
Brewster feels that the title “probation officer” does not effectively convey what the role actually is.
“I am able to create positive relationships with these youth and serve as a mentor,” she explains. “I love being able to make a difference in someone’s life and help them. The greatest part of any day is hearing from children I have worked with that I helped them change their life. It makes everything worth it.”
Her OHIO Experience
Brewster says that Ohio University played direct role in her career choice.
After taking Dr. Vander Ven’s juvenile delinquency class, she knew she wanted to work with kids and give back to the community.
“It opened my eyes,” she says, “and I am blessed to have the opportunity to make a great difference in these youths’ lives.”
She goes further and thanks Ohio University and the College of Arts and Sciences for providing her with an education that helped her reach her dream job. A job which also gives her an opportunity to use the things she has learned from everyday life.
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