When I was considering what to do for my EDGE project the main thing that concerned me was how to make it tie into my major which is Criminal Justice. The EDGE project is supposed to help you complete a personal or professional goal to give you a leg up on your resume. My problem is that I do not have a specific personal or professional goal. So I decided to make learning more aspects of criminal justice my project. I also was curious to see how being in a very different atmosphere than the one I was accustomed to would change the aspects of a traditional career in criminal justice or law enforcement.
The first thing I had to come up with was a way to complete this project since it is rather obscure and I do not have any connections that could help in any way. All year I had been seeing signs to sign up for the Semester in the Parks program. Since one of the objectives was to get more hands-on learning experience in the outdoors particularly in the National Parks I decided to sign up for the program. After going through the acceptance process Being in the National Parks made it easier to find people who were part of law enforcement in the parks which is an aspect of criminal justice. Also as part of the program, I could utilize the resources and connects the professors have to complete my project. As Criminal Justice 1010 was offered I was able to have contact with professors who had extremely useful connections for my project and major. Without them, I would not have been able to complete my project.
As far as preparing for the program went I just had to ensure that I had all necessary materials and supplies that I would need for school and to live off of for nearly three months in addition to the supplies I would need for the trips we took to the different parks during the course of the program. Supplies included clothing, food, school books, laptop, sleeping bag, hiking and camping supplies.
The basics of the program began by living in SUU’s Mountain Center. For the first week or so we got to know one another and adjust to being together pretty much constantly. After that, we moved to Bryce Canyon City where we lived in Ruby’s Inn employee housing for the remainder of the program. There we took classes in Bryce Canyon, worked at Ruby’s Inn, and went on trips every other weekend. During the trips and class time, we were able to meet with people that were relevant to what we were learning or to the purpose of the program. Through those meetings and trips, I was able to complete my project. At the end of the program, we moved back into the Mountain Center, took the final trip to the Grand Canyon, and had a dinner to end the program.
I was able to complete my objective to learn about criminal justice or law enforcement in the national parks and the outdoors. Law enforcement is different in the outdoors. In Bryce Canyon one of the opportunities we had was to go through an afternoon of Search and Rescue training. Having interned in a police department before I knew the basics of what is required on the job for a street cop. This was different because it was necessary to be cross trained as an EMT as well as be skilled enough to carry a person out of the hoodoos if it was necessary. I was also able to talk to the park rangers after the training to talk about how they feel they are different and similar to regular cops.
In addition to working at Ruby’s Inn and going through the Search and Rescue training we took the time to be Leave No Trace certified. We also had the chance to take part in a service project for Zion National Park. We helped pick foreign plants out of an infested area to make room for native plants to be planted and nurtured to replenish the area.
The EDGE program while traditionally hated by many students is actually rather beneficial. It makes people go out and do something. Students who are really interested in doing something for the world or at least for their own future. It gives students that little something extra that “edge” that helps up their resume possibly get preference over someone who hasn’t done anything like that. Nowadays just having a high school diploma or even a bachelor’s degree doesn’t cut it. The EDGE program ensures that those aren’t the only things we have to recommend ourselves to the world.
The first thing I had to come up with was a way to complete this project since it is rather obscure and I do not have any connections that could help in any way. All year I had been seeing signs to sign up for the Semester in the Parks program. Since one of the objectives was to get more hands-on learning experience in the outdoors particularly in the National Parks I decided to sign up for the program. After going through the acceptance process Being in the National Parks made it easier to find people who were part of law enforcement in the parks which is an aspect of criminal justice. Also as part of the program, I could utilize the resources and connects the professors have to complete my project. As Criminal Justice 1010 was offered I was able to have contact with professors who had extremely useful connections for my project and major. Without them, I would not have been able to complete my project.
As far as preparing for the program went I just had to ensure that I had all necessary materials and supplies that I would need for school and to live off of for nearly three months in addition to the supplies I would need for the trips we took to the different parks during the course of the program. Supplies included clothing, food, school books, laptop, sleeping bag, hiking and camping supplies.
The basics of the program began by living in SUU’s Mountain Center. For the first week or so we got to know one another and adjust to being together pretty much constantly. After that, we moved to Bryce Canyon City where we lived in Ruby’s Inn employee housing for the remainder of the program. There we took classes in Bryce Canyon, worked at Ruby’s Inn, and went on trips every other weekend. During the trips and class time, we were able to meet with people that were relevant to what we were learning or to the purpose of the program. Through those meetings and trips, I was able to complete my project. At the end of the program, we moved back into the Mountain Center, took the final trip to the Grand Canyon, and had a dinner to end the program.
I was able to complete my objective to learn about criminal justice or law enforcement in the national parks and the outdoors. Law enforcement is different in the outdoors. In Bryce Canyon one of the opportunities we had was to go through an afternoon of Search and Rescue training. Having interned in a police department before I knew the basics of what is required on the job for a street cop. This was different because it was necessary to be cross trained as an EMT as well as be skilled enough to carry a person out of the hoodoos if it was necessary. I was also able to talk to the park rangers after the training to talk about how they feel they are different and similar to regular cops.
In addition to working at Ruby’s Inn and going through the Search and Rescue training we took the time to be Leave No Trace certified. We also had the chance to take part in a service project for Zion National Park. We helped pick foreign plants out of an infested area to make room for native plants to be planted and nurtured to replenish the area.
The EDGE program while traditionally hated by many students is actually rather beneficial. It makes people go out and do something. Students who are really interested in doing something for the world or at least for their own future. It gives students that little something extra that “edge” that helps up their resume possibly get preference over someone who hasn’t done anything like that. Nowadays just having a high school diploma or even a bachelor’s degree doesn’t cut it. The EDGE program ensures that those aren’t the only things we have to recommend ourselves to the world.
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