Her Story
About Carol
I felt God called me to go get a criminal justice degree, and when I was about to graduate, I thought I was going to be a police officer, but then I felt that I did not want to do that. One of my professors ran a juvenile bureau and told me to just put his name down and I'd get the job. So I went in as a detention officer, and I just fell in love with the criminal justice side within corrections. I've worked in maximum security, medium security, with illegal immigrants, with juveniles, and now I'm working with community corrections, so I have a wide variety of experience. As a case manager, I monitor my inmates' caseloads using Oklahoma's point system. I help get them enrolled in programs based on what they're assessed with, like anger management, thinking for a change programs, substance abuse programs, and help them get their GED. At my current facility, we also do work release, so our inmates can get jobs if they qualify to go out into the community and actually work a real job. You have to be an excellent inmate to be able to do those things, and it helps with their rehabilitation and lowers the recidivism rate. I see so many positives come out from these inmates, and they thank me, saying things like 'thanks for putting me in that substance abuse class, because I knew I needed it, but I didn't want to take it, and you made me take it, and now I'm off drugs and I'm actually rekindling relationships with my family.' Stuff like that makes me happy.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Carol
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my parents. They just told me to keep going. Don't quit, always go for what you want, and dream big. They were the ones who encouraged me to stick with it, even when days are hard and you feel like you want to quit sometimes.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received was to stick with it. Because days are hard, and you feel like you want to quit sometimes, don't give up. Because you've seen positive, you'll see it again. This advice really resonated with me, and I share it with other people when they come through, new officers and stuff, because I know how challenging this work can be.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say know your priorities and always stick to them. If you start doubting yourself, or you start having questions, reach out to other people, because people who've been in the field, they can help you to be overcomers of situations you could put yourself in. It's important to have that support system and not be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge for me is promoting, because of where I live. I don't want to relocate, and I don't have a lot of promotion opportunities unless I decide to drive like an hour and a half to work. I did drive an hour and 20 minutes at one point, I did it for 6 months, and I was like, I can't do this no more. So the geographic limitations really impact career advancement in my field.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My walk with Christ is very important to me. I share that with inmates also, and so they come to me, and we pray together sometimes. I'm a Christian, and I definitely do not down other religions. Other religions have come to me, and we've talked about their religion, and then my religion, and so I love debating stuff like that. I think it's interesting, because there's so many different religions out there, and learning pieces of another religion is beneficial. It gives you a better understanding of why they chose that religion and helps you connect with people on a deeper level.
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