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STUDENT'S INTERNSHIPS CREATE PATH TO PROFESSIONAL PASSION

What do the Boulder County Sheriff's office, Boulder County District Attorney's office, Lt. Governor's office, Colorado Governor's office and the Secret Service all have in common? These are offices and law enforcement agencies where Lynzi Maas, a senior double majoring in criminology and socio-legal studies, has held internships over the last four years.

Maas became interested in studying crime and specifically the causes of crime, those who commit crimes and why it happens while in high school. Her decision to attend the University of Denver was based on the criminology program the University offered. She added the socio-legal studies major because it allows her to look at how law is impacted by society.

Maas knew early on that she would like to work for a federal law enforcement agency and that she would need experience to one day get the job she wants. Her internships have gradually built the experience that she needs.

"The whole point is to build a resume. I am able to tell them that here are all the things that I have done and I have worked hard and succeeded even though these were not my passion," said Maas. Her primary goal is to work with the Secret Service. "This is my passion and I can show them and demonstrate that I will be even more successful in a job that I love."

She began building her work experience in the Boulder County Sheriff's office cadet program. After four years in the program, Maas was able to transition to an internship with the district attorney's office, an area closer to her true interests. This internship reinforced her interest in law and drove her to think of law school as another option leading to a possible career. She then served as a policy intern with the Lt. Governor's office allowing her to gain experience within state government and with drafting policy and conducting research. She strengthened her research skills in the Colorado Governor's office which she believes will apply to the case research and investigations she may one day conduct.

"Starting with the Sheriff's office and building up through state government and then exploring different avenues made me a stronger candidate for my next opportunity with the Secret Service," said Maas who worked in the Secret Service Denver office last year. "I bring more to the table than I would have just being a DU student that worked hard."

Maas notes that the biggest value of the internships was that they helped her figure out exactly what she wanted to do after graduation. "The faculty does a great job of allowing us to explore our interests, but exploring our passion is done outside of the classroom. Each of my internships has contributed something different and pointed me down the path that I wanted to go. It has also been helpful that I have seen the application of what I have learned in classrooms to real environments," said Maas.