AS~\R..\NG r fyou passed her in the student center or on the front lawn, she'd smile and wave. Her sweet personality wo uld give no indication of the tough career she had chosen to pursue. The only clue might be her prized handcuff necklace. Juniar Christine Parent, a double major in criminal justice and psychology, decided from a young age that she wanted to work for the FBI. "J first started getting interested in law enforcement around 7th grade," Parent said . ' 'I've always read a lot and my interest kept getting drawn to books about law enforcement and justice or detective stories. It was then that I decided that I wanted to make a difference in others' lives. " With many different divisions inside the FBI, Parent had to decide what area she was interested in. That was where her second major came in. "1 now know that 1am interested in profiling so my psychology Ina – jor will be helpful," Parent said. "They [the FBI] also require several years in a field related to your desired line of work before applying to the academy. For my goals I will need to work in law enforcement for several years. " Parent wanted to do everything in her power to make herself more desirable for graduate programs and future employers . H er heavy course load at Harding indicated tha t she was certainly taking all the steps neces– sary to make that happen. AGENT "The classes are challenging, but they hold my interest so the course– work isn't too difficult," Parent said. "I enjoy learning the material, which makes the classes seem easier." In addition to maintaining 17 classroom hours, Parent was active in her criminal justice major through her membership in the Harding CriIninal Jus tice Association and stayed busy working 20 hours in the McInteer for various Bible professors and serving as social director for her club, Chi Kappa Rho. She also held an internship, worth 3 credit hours, at the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections. Here, Parent was able to do a number of different tasks and expand her experi– ence in the law enforcement field. "I sit in [on] offlcers' meetings with clients, serve warrants, admin – ister drug have assisted in finding an absconder," Parent said. "There is no 'typical '"day; there's always something exciting to see or something new to learn. Parent knew what she wanted to do with her life and made sure her time at Harding would aid her in achieving her goals. "I nstead of sitting back and complaining about the problems I wit– nessed in the world, I wanted to actively do something about them, one criminal at a time," Parent said . "1 wanted to make as big a difference as possible and J decided that a federal branch, namely the FBI was the way to do that." Emily Hauptli Junior Christy Parent demonstrates on Feb. 23 how to handuff someone. Parent double majored in criminal justice and psychology. Noah Darnell On Feb. 23, Parent spoke about her de– sire to be q FBI agent. "Instead of sitting back and complaining about the prob– lems I witnessed in the world, I wanted to actively do something about them, one criminal at a time," she said. Noah Darnell social sciences/behavioral sciences 229
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