Roxanne Meakes - BA in Justice Studies (BA-JUS)

I feel as though I am at a crossroad in my life since earning my Bachelor of Justice Studies. On one hand, I can build on my degree and complete my Bachelor of Education to continue working where I do. Or I can use my degree to head down a new career path and eventually work on a Master`s. I know for sure I have more options than I previously had.

The most valuable learning has been mostly about myself. I have found strengths, weaknesses and just straightout faults that I had to deal with and, in the end, embrace to be able to move on successfully. What I have noticed has changed is pretty simple: my self-esteem. I proved that not only can I do it, I can do it well. Receiving the Presidents Award and the Founder`s Award solidified that for me.

All the instructors in the Bachelor of Justice Studies program are professionals in their field and this shows in their knowledge of the subject matter. Some, however, stand out for me. Erich Schellhammer . . . what an amazing man! Not only is he an engaging teacher and phenomenal department head; he is very kind, approachable, understanding and always makes time for you if you need to talk. Barbara Schellhammer . . . what a brilliant woman! She makes philosophy a very enjoyable and understandable subject; far from what I thought it would be. Michael Young . . . tough yet very fair. He demands no more from his students than he would demand from himself. One thing I really appreciate about Michael, aside from his approachability, is his sense of humour.

I chose RRU because I could complete my degree in one year rather than two. The program covered everything I was looking for and a relative of mine had completed a Masters degree at the university so had gone online to check out the options.

The program fit my needs in particular because it gave me the opportunity to finish a degree I had started long ago. As a single mom of two boys, the course load combined with my boys’ schedules got a bit “hairy” at times but they were my biggest supporters. Without them I would not have done as well as I did and I can never thank them enough for all their encouragement and patience. My extended family too, was a great support and graduation day was one of great excitement for my parents; they have waited a long time to see me walk across a stage with a degree.

I think the thing that scared me most about going back to school was being the oldest person in the program. The rest of the on-campus cohort, however, overlooked this. We were all students heading towards a common goal.

There is nothing I would have done differently. Each and every “bump” was a learning experience and the difficulties we face enrich our lives beyond the basic experiences of life and learning.

If anyone asked me about RRU and its Justice Studies Program, I would highly recommend it. It’s a great program for anyone who wants to enter law school and you touch on not only different types of law and law systems but philosophy, policy analysis and many other topics..If there were a Master`s Program, I would sign up right away.

Graduation day, for me, was not a big deal at first, but once I was gowned and headed towards the marquee, I was hit with realization of how hard I had worked over the past year and what I had given up to get there as well as how much this meant to my boys and my parents. What topped the day off was a proposal of marriage from my boyfriend.