Before graduation, Dr. Joe Johnston sat down with Ariana Chin, 2023 Sociology Senior Award winner, to look back at her Gonzaga journey, and look forward to what is next as she moves into the world with her many degrees.
Dr. Joe Johnston
So what led you to become a Criminology and or Sociology major in the first place?
Ariana Chin (’23)
So for me, I guess throughout middle school I was always interested in Criminology and Sociology. When I was younger, I was always asking questions of like, OK, why do my parents have authority over me? You know why do my teachers think that I don't speak English? But you know my friend over here, they think that, you know, they don't question that for her. Most of the questions. And of course, I didn't really know, you know, what those questions kind of lead to or anything, especially as a young kid.
But in middle school I was home schooled, and my mom put me into these Saturday Academy classes with regards to, you know, Criminology and crime and policing and, you know, oh, here's a crime scene, you know, figure it out. And asking those types of questions and stuff. So that's when I kind of knew I had a little bit of interest in Criminology. In high school I took anthropology, I took psychology, and I knew those were connected with sociology, but I never got the opportunity to take a Sociology class.
So coming to Gonzaga, I knew that, OK, if I get the opportunity, I would love to take a Sociology class and/or Criminology class. And so I think it was my second semester freshman year I put down a Criminology minor and took CRIM 101 with Forrest Rogers. Best thing ever, honestly, that was my most fun class, even though that was the year of COVID, so everything kind of transitioned. But I still retained a ton of the information that I learned, which for me was huge. I enjoyed the books I was reading, I enjoyed the theories I was learning about, and Crim eventually became a major.
I ended up taking fall 2020 Sociology Policing with Vic, and for me, that meant a lot to me. Just because I'm from Portland and that year was, you know, we had a ton of issues and stuff with the police. So it was very interesting to read those books, to learn from Vic about kind of the history of policing here, how do we get to community policing and what is that supposed to mean versus what is it now, currently at the moment.
So I had I declared Sociology as a minor originally too, I never really intended for either of those to become majors because I thought that that would be too much for me. But I started taking more and more Crim and Soc classes just because it sparked my interest and it was something that I was very passionate about, it didn't feel like a burden. So I ended up talking with Vic, talking with Doctor Bruns and Dr. Rodgers and moving them up to become majors for me. But yeah, that's kind of how I got my foot into the door, were Crim and Soc.
Joe
Very, very, very. Cool. Oh I love knowing that, OK, so you sort of answered this already, but why did you stick with it? Were there times where you doubted it and or considered changing? You have other things beyond Sociology and Criminology, but did you have moments of doubt?
Ariana
So for me, I mean, like I said, I stuck with it because I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was something that I'm passionate about. I really enjoyed researching and writing about how, especially for me, because I'm also International Studies and Political Science majors.
So, connecting those with Sociology and with Criminology and writing on different laws around the world, writing about how mass incarceration looks differently within different countries. Why are, you know, certain norms normal in this society versus ours, etc. But for me I guess moments of doubt just came when I wasn't sure if I could handle all of everything and all of my majors, just because I do have four of them.
And so those were kind of the moments of doubt and those didn't really last long just because then I threw myself back into the work and was like, you know what? I thoroughly enjoy this. You know, it may take up time and it may take up my energy, but I am happy doing this so it's one of those things that I get adrenaline from it and it's not like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is like wearing me down, tiresome.’ This is like ‘I'm tired, but I'm so excited’. Like I don't feel that tiredness anymore because I just wanna keep going.
Joe
It's beautiful. It's a wonderful thing. Thank you. So you mentioned Forrest's 101 and Vic's policing classes already. Were there other specific classes or experiences or people or maybe like projects or assignments that you want to remember from your time as a Criminology and Sociology major? And why if so?
Ariana
Yeah. Doctor Brun's Mass Incarceration. That class was like, every single time someone brings up Sociology and Criminology, and as an ambassador as well, when I give tours, I always bring up Doctor Brun's Mass Incarceration, because that was extremely pivotal.
I guess for me, I learned so much from that class that I had never knew before. Like we ended up talking about weddings in prison, which is not something I would have ever of thought about. The fact of how secondary prisonization, how prison affects people within the community, people who you are going to think, people like me, who, you know, pay taxes and stuff, right? It affects me in that way and people, I guess, don't really think about that, especially in the US, just because the media doesn't necessarily highlight that and that's just something we kind of like to gloss over because mass incarceration is so... I mean, the US is number one for mass incarceration.
So it's not necessarily a focal point that we like to highlight, but for me, I guess, coming from a background where I never really had to have those conversations or talk about that, that was something that was very interesting to me. But my mom, she's a teacher as well, and I volunteered in her classroom. And a lot of her, like several her kids, their parents are in prison or going to prison. And so for me, it was like kind of being able to be more empathetic in that way and make those connections, especially when I go back into the classroom of... I understand, or I've learned about at least. What you might be feeling, how you want to talk about it, If you want to talk about it. And have a deeper understanding of that.
So that class definitely sparked my interest in looking at I guess, like mass incarceration around the world too. And why the US stands out. Why do we have 2,000,000 versus China only has one. And they're number 2.
I took [Dr. Bruns] SOC 101 class too that semester, which was very fun. I remember one of the activities we did, we put little labels, she gave us little post, it notes. It reminded me of The office episode where the Diversity Day, yeah. Of course, this was done in a more appropriate manner. But she gives a little post It notes to put on our heads of like you know, ‘idiot’, ‘floozy’, you know that type of stuff. And you're supposed to treat each other the way of the label treated you.
It kind of illustrates labeling theory, and so I think I had like ‘idiot’ on mine and I was like ‘I want to be a lawyer.’ And people were like, ‘please no, I wouldn't hire you to be my lawyer’. But that was such a fun class. That illustrated that theory that, I mean, I remember what that theory is all about and how it impacts people and how it kind of shapes the way that you think about yourself and that type of stuff.
For Crim, one of my favorite assignments I did, this was over COVID, It was with my partner. It was for race and crime, and we were talking about juvenile delinquency and the school to prison pipeline, and we were connecting our personal stories as juveniles with and, talking about the issues of school to prison pipeline. You know, people here, Gonzaga may not know about it, you know, especially knowing that we are a private Jesuit school and then looking at juvenile delinquencyy and juvenile laws around the world, I think we compared it with like the US with Denmark, China and Iraq or something like that. It was a really fun podcast put together. It was the first time I made a podcast for a class, and I mean, that was an extremely fun assignment to do.
So that definitely sticks with me. I listen back to it sometimes, like my friend and I just for fun, and just to, you know, remember what it was like putting it all together and stuff.
Joe
So yeah, very cool. Oh my God, that's no, that's awesome. Thank you. That's awesome. So, what are you hoping to do with your post Gonzaga life? And how do you think Criminology and Sociology will connect to those hopes? The scary question.
Ariana
The scary question. So, for me, I will be joining the Peace Corps this September in the Philippines. I will be a secretary of education co-teacher. I love school, I love learning, but I need a break. And since I love traveling, I definitely want to be able to apply what I've learned into what I do, I thought Peace Corps would be a great option. So right now, I just need to get through all like the medical and legal stuff, you know, going through all the background checks. Hopefully nothing happens, of course that prevents me from being able to go to the Philippines, but that's the plan thus far.
I do want to go to law school. That's always been a dream of mine. That's something I have wanted ever since I was in preschool. And that's still in the equation, again, I just need a break. So definitely would love to go to law school. And that's kind of all I've got for now.
Joe
It's great. The last question is just is there anything else that you'd like to share about your time in Sociology and Criminology or anything else that pops into your mind?
Ariana
I guess for me the one thing I do, this is something I always like to share as an ambassador on tours or when I get questions. It's just the Sociology department and the Criminology department have been amazing.
Like honestly, I'm not just saying this just cause you're here in front of me, but the professors are like the best I've ever had. They like it when I talk about professors, when I give tours, I always mention Crim and Soc. Because you guys always have your doors open, you know you guys do have office hours. But as I tell the people that, like, give tours to, you know, if you just stop on by and say hi, they're more than happy to have a conversation with you. They're more than happy to chat with you. Treat you like an actual human being.
They're very understanding and the assignments, you know, it's a lot of work. There are big assignments, especially within Crim and Soc, but it's a safe environment where they understand that you have life that there's other things going on and if you reach out to them, you know they're more than happy to assist you and reach out to you as well. It's a safe environment to ask those hard questions to talk about those difficult subjects where you might feel uncomfortable with.
I mean, so many times in Doctor Morlocks class, I'm in the capstone right now, I've felt like I've had the unpopular opinion or, you know, just that I'd be judged for what I would be saying, but I'm more than happy to share it just because I know that's not the case and I've learned that's not the case throughout my past couple of years at Gonzaga here. So, I told my brother, because my brother had to take one of those social justice classes, He's an engineer, so obviously he really doesn't know what he's throwing himself into. I told him, I was like, take a Sociology or Criminology class. You won't regret it, it’s a good time. You'll learn a lot from it, and you'll enjoy the experience too. And he did last semester. That's thanks to Doctor Morlock. I guess those are my remarks.