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I chose my internship at the because I realized how helpful it could be to explore different career opportunities in the field of criminal justice and how wonderful of an opportunity it could be to gain experience. I am hoping to pursue a job in local law enforcement after graduation near where I have grown up in New Jersey. Since I grew up in Sussex County, I want to gain experience, and I want to stay local after graduation, interning with the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office was the perfect opportunity for me to build relationships and connections.

My expectations for this internship are to get to know the role the Sheriff’s Office plays in the community, to gain an understanding of the things the office oversees, to learn about day-to-day operations, and to learn about career opportunities and paths that are available, as well as to discover new things within the criminal justice field that may spark my interest.

My first few weeks with the Sheriff’s Office have surpassed my expectations and have been so exciting! On the first day, I was extremely nervous, as I was unsure exactly what I should expect, but another intern and I were immediately welcomed by everyone who made a conscious effort to get to know us on a first-name basis, asked us about our goals, offered advice and expertise on entering the criminal justice field, and some even provided us with personal contact information just in case we ever need anything or have questions.

My first day was an orientation, and it included training on confidentiality as well as some other topics. For the orientation part of the day, we had the opportunity to meet each individual working across the bureaus that the office oversees and to get a brief overview of each person’s role. After this, I no longer felt nervous, and I instead felt very supported and confident. I am not as afraid to ask questions as I was going into the internship.

Everyone in the Office seemed to be very friendly, and although the office is fast paced and busy, they were all willing to take a moment to speak to us and get to know us. In the past few weeks, I have realized the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office seems to be a great fit for my work style, and it is a place I would love to work in the future.

There are so many diverse career opportunities that the Sheriff’s Office can provide, there is room for growth, and the productive and friendly team environment is one I could see myself fitting in very well in the future.

Alexandria French ’23, a criminal justice major at the University, is completing an internship at the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office in New Jersey as part of the University’s Bergami Summer Internship Program.