Three Gavilan College Administration of Justice students
recently won top honors at a regional criminal justice conference,
propelling them to the national competition in March.
Three Gavilan College Administration of Justice students recently won top honors at a regional criminal justice conference, propelling them to the national competition in March.
Claudia Gonzalez, Neal Oppenheimer and Jeanne Church swept first, second and third place in the written juvenile law examination in their division at the American Criminal Justice Association/ Lambda Alpha Epsilon co-ed fraternity regional conference. The team also took second and third place in the criminal procedures examination.
The competition, hosted by Fresno State University on Oct. 29 through 31, included 120 students from throughout the western United States.
The three students from Gavilan competed in academic and tactical areas including juvenile law, criminal procedures, firearms, physical agility and crime scene investigations.
Gonzalez took first place in juvenile law, Oppenheimer took second in juvenile law and in criminal procedures and Church took third in juvenile law and in criminal procedures. The team also placed in the top 10 in the firearms competition.
The three will travel to Memphis, Tenn., March 21 through 25 to participate in the national American Criminal Justice Association conference, where they will compete against criminal justice students from across the country.
Steve Smith, instructor of administration and justice at Gavilan, said he is proud of his students and is confident they’ll do well in March.
“To sweep the regional conference says that Gavilan students are well prepared to compete academically, which transfers to the ability to compete in the job market,” Smith said.
Likewise, Church said the instruction she has received in her 1 1/2 years at Gavilan has been paramount.
“This is probably one of the best programs in community colleges in the area,” said Church, 25. “The instructors all have really strong law enforcement backgrounds, both in experience and training.”
Church, a lifelong Gilroyan, said one of the best parts of attending the conferences – and what she’s been looking forward to in March – is the chance to talk with people who have been working in criminal justice administration for a long time.
“Being able to network with people in the field and learning what they’re doing is really beneficial,” she said. “And on a personal level, helping people and being involved in other people’s lives is great.”
Oppenheimer, a second year student at Gavilan and vice president of the chapter from San Jose, said he and his fellow students will be working diligently in the upcoming months to prepare for the national competition, including taking more classes, reviewing past class notes and training for the competition’s physical agility component.
Also between now and March, the team will be raising money for their trip to Memphis through a variety of fund-raisers and contributions.
Oppenheimer said he is applying to work with the San Jose Police Department.
“I’ve always liked helping people, and I felt like this is where my skills are best used,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be a police officer. My experience at Gavilan has been great.”
The Gavilan College chapter of Lambda Alpha Epsilon was founded last year by students in Gavilan’s Administration of Justice department. The fraternity sponsors academic and social events relating to criminal justice throughout the year.
Katie Niekerk is a staff writer. Reach her at 408-847-7097 or [email protected]
