As of this fall semester, Alex Gorden created and filled a new graduate assistant position in the Criminal Justice Department.

Gorden is going to be in charge of CJ 444, “Topics, Criminal Profiling.” Gorden said she has only held the position for the short time school has been in session, but is hard at work with her new teaching job and many other responsibilities the Criminal Justice Department has given her the opportunity to take on.

“[The CJ 444 course focuses on] more or less just looking at the crime scene and profiling the behavior of the offender,” Gorden said.

According to Gorden the department had just announced that they were going to begin preparations for a master’s program in criminal justice, and a graduate assistant position was proposed. Practically right away, Gorden, who had been doing work-study in Connell Hall for four years, popped into the conversation and the rest is history.

“I wouldn’t say it was because of me, but I am definitely the guinea pig, for sure,” Gorden said.

Gorden’s idea of a dream job occurred due to her interest in crime shows on television.

“Growing up I watched CSI and Criminal Minds and so that definitely sparks the interest,” Gorden said.

Using those shows as inspiration, she said her dream job would be as a criminal profiler for the FBI, but working as a crime scene investigator in a bigger city in Nebraska suits her just fine as
well. Gorden said she isn’t opposed to teaching full-time if the opportunity arises.

On top of teaching the class, Gorden has a slew of other responsibilities she takes on as graduate assistant.

“[I am responsible for] helping out in the crime house, setting up the scenes, helping with those classes, helping the students and the faculty and the departments and just helping out with the clubs and honor societies and kind of just whatever they need me to do,” Gorden said.