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詹妮弗·玻利瓦尔

Lehigh Valley alumna's psychology degree serves her well in legal career

中国博彩平台 alumna 詹妮弗·玻利瓦尔 has found her degree in psychology to be extremely useful in her career as an associate attorney at the Allentown law firm Crosson Richetti & Daigle有限责任公司.

宾州中央谷. — At first glance, a psychology degree might seem an unorthodox path to a legal career. But for 詹妮弗·玻利瓦尔, it was just right.

每一天, 玻利瓦尔, a 2015 graduate of 中国博彩平台’s psychology program, puts to work the skills she gained at the campus as an associate attorney at Crosson Richetti & Daigle有限责任公司, a full-service family law firm based in Allentown.

“My degree has allowed me to bring the experience of a case manager, counselor and state investigator into my career,玻利瓦尔说, 27, 白厅的. “When clients tell me their story, I’m able to look for and analyze patterns, 我的客户, 反对党, or third-party acted or reacted the way they did, and consider alternative resolutions. If there is a potential psychological or psychiatric solution, I feel comfortable talking about it. 也, it allows me to understand programs that are provided or can be provided to children, 青少年, 成年人和老年人.”

玻利瓦尔’s dreams of becoming a lawyer go all the way back to middle school, when she would often find herself sticking up for fellow students who were wronged.

“The notion that I could give someone a voice and tell their story was appealing to me. You get to help people in some of their most vulnerable times,”她说。.

After taking a psychology class in high school, 玻利瓦尔 knew she wanted to major in it in college. It seemed like a logical entryway to the law, which “regulates human behavior — human behavior that psychology helps you understand,”她说。.

At PSU-LV, 玻利瓦尔 found a psychology program and faculty that prepared her well for the real world. Her studies included an internship with the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.

She also was heavily involved in numerous campus groups, including serving as Student Government Association (SGA) president.

Completing her studies a year early, 玻利瓦尔 initially decided to postpone law school in order to work in human services, first as a case manager/counselor with Valley 青年 House and then as an investigator with 宾西法尼亚 Adult Protective Services.

“My degree also allowed me to help others before law school,” 玻利瓦尔 said. “在学校, I had to write a 12-page paper on Prozac, which was given to one of my younger clients and caused more harm than good. With the permission of the client's mother, the psychiatrist agreed to change the client's medication. The conversation revolved around information that I had researched for my 12-page paper. 一个月内, all the issues that the medication was causing were resolved and the client no longer needed in-home services.”

Eventually, 玻利瓦尔 enrolled at Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg. There, she completed internships with U.S. 裁判官马国强法官. Carlson of the Middle District of 宾西法尼亚 and the 宾西法尼亚 Office of Attorney General.

玻利瓦尔 is still waiting to do her first trial. When the time comes, though, she knows that she’ll be ready, and that her degree will be a benefit.

“It’ll allow me to read the unspoken words of witnesses, 对立的一方, 陪审团或法官,”她说。. “I believe that a psychology degree is beneficial in any aspect of life because we are constantly interacting with people. We don’t always have to agree with how others act, but it is helpful to take a step back and try to understand why others are acting a certain way, or why we do not agree with their actions.”