Biography

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

A little history_ I was born in Chicago. When I was 5 my parents moved to Los Angeles. Neither my father nor mother graduated from high school. Their parents were immigrants after World War I and did not speak English. My dad’s parents came from Poland and my mother’s came from Italy. My dad would always tell me to go to college and get an education. He didn’t know how to help me or guide me through my education because he dropped out of high school and joined the Navy at the start of World War II. Because my father had not had the opportunity to have a good education himself, he could see the value of a college education and he sought to instill in me the notion that education is valuable and life changing. No members of my family; aunts, uncles, or cousins went to college. As a youth I was not a diligent student. I preferred playing sports and having fun rather than applying myself to academic study. By the age of 21 I had started college twice and quit, then joined the police academy and quit that too. I didn’t last more than two weeks at any of those ventures. That is when my life changed.

During a day of self-reflection at the age of 21 I thought about how many life-improving opportunities I had quit and the direction my life was heading in because I would rather quit the hard things than invest time and effort into challenges. I decided I would never quit anything again. That became my philosophy of life from that day forward, and over the years I have taught criminal justice it has evolved into my teaching philosophy as well for my students. Don’t quit the hard things and your life will be better!

I want them to be the best version of themselves. Because of my life history I have a lot in common with many of my students. Many are first generation students as I was. We sometimes discuss after class how to get through college. I believe that in criminal justice you should challenge the students to think critically in policies, procedures and their broader societal impact like politics. Regarding politics I am not there to indoctrinate but to encourage them to think critically. We discuss Supreme Court decisions and how they affect society. I tell them the law is not fair, just or moral. It’s just the law. This is to help students understand how the system works and what can be done to improve it. Teaching criminal justice for me is more than just delivering content – it’s about preparing the next generation of professionals who will shape and lead the criminal justice system. I have been in the criminal justice field for 48 years. It has changed mightily during that time. I want the students I teach to feel empowered to grow. My philosophy is to be supportive, engaging and challenge them to make it a better system. Whether they go into law enforcement, corrections, the law, forensics, or anything related, I want them to give it everything they have. If they do, they will excel by never quitting tough challenges.

Education

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