Meet Sarah

Sarah and Future Careers in Criminal Justice

BB2C would like to introduce Sarah Alfman, one of our founding Future Careers in Criminal Justice (FCCJ) students. Sarah attended Discover Law Enforcement Day in the spring of 2021, after being referred to the event by Project Rise. Sarah then began attending weekly meetings of the FCCJ to learn more about interactions between prosecutors and law enforcement officers because she would like to become a prosecutor.

Sarah is a rising sophomore at Miller High School in Perry County. This year she is excited about taking a CCP Algebra class and an AP Language class. She has also requested a street law class and a psychology class because of her continued participation in the FCCJ group and her interest in the field.

Since joining FCCJ, Sarah has been very active. She has created their Facebook page, attended meetings with various speakers, and most recently obtained the Trauma Informed Care Certification through Family and Children First. When asked why she decided to do the Trauma Informed Care Certification, Sarah said that she wanted to become certified because she knows that she wants to be in the criminal justice field in some capacity and that having the certification will help her better understand the people she will be working with.

Giving back to the community and building positive relationships is important to all the FCCJ members and many choose to volunteer in their communities. Sarah has been helping organize a Help Me Grow camp and also volunteers a few days a week at a local summer camp, where she has been asked to apply to be a staff member in the future.

When asked what the impact of being involved in the group has been, she said, “Through the different guest speakers and opportunities, I have been able to see the connections between law enforcement and prosecutors; how they work together throughout a case, how the district attorneys provide warrants for the law enforcement officers to do their jobs, and how the law enforcement investigates the case and presents evidence to the prosecution so they can prosecute the defendant. Without the work of the law enforcement, there would be no case. Also, if you are a prosecutor, you need to be able to talk with victims who have suffered trauma. A prosecutor needs to be aware of the fact they have been traumatized to better represent the victims. It helps the prosecutor to have a better understanding of what they have gone through.”