Criminal Justice degree spawns freelance writing career
Elizabeth Renter wants to make a difference. A Criminal Justice degree from Bellevue University is helping her do just that, although her career has taken a turn she may not have initially envisioned.
Renter graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration.
"I've always been fascinated by the criminal justice system," Renter said. "I had this big vision of me making major changes within the system after having studied inequalities within it for so long, even before I began pursuing my degree."
Renter juggled a full-time job with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services and single motherhood, while pursuing her degree. While she attended classes online, her familiarity with Bellevue University, just an hour's drive from her home in Lincoln, led her to select the school over other online options.
"I didn't want to use a school that was not well known, or didn't have a positive reputation for its physical campus," she said. "Bellevue fit the criteria I had set."
After graduation, Renter moved to North Carolina, working as a probation/parole officer and also within a large law firm, but she wasn't having the kind of impact on the system that she had hoped.
"I got my degree in criminal justice because I thought being employed within the system would allow me to affect some change. I quickly realized that the system isn't set up that way," she said. "It was only when I started expressing myself through the written word that I felt I actually had any, albeit small, chance at making any difference, or at least didn't feel like I was contributing to a broken system."
So Renter embarked on a career as a full-time freelance writer about four years ago. Her work has appeared on the Huffington Post, Change.org and other sites.
"Throughout my writing career, much of my work has been focused on the criminal justice system," Renter said. "From writing feature stories and commentaries to legal blogs, my education still impacts my career even though it has changed course since I graduated."
In addition to tackling criminal justice issues, she has also written on health, exercise and nutrition as well as other topics.
You can see more of Renter's work at her website or follow her on twitter @elizabethrenter.
For more information on Bellevue University's Public Safety degrees call 1-800-756-7920 or email OneStop@Bellevue.edu.
