Naya Russell-Coprich, center, with Victoria Terranova, Ph.D.凯尔·沃德(Kyle Ward)博士.D., at the 研究生 Dean's Citation award ceremony.

Criminal Justice Master’s Student Honored with Dean’s Citation for Excellence

When Naya Russell-Coprich started her studies at the 北科罗拉多大学, she wanted to be a police officer like her grandfather — one of the first black police 丹佛警官. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of 艺术 in Criminology and Criminal Justice from UNC, Russell-Coprich has a new focus.

“I realized I liked the theoretical aspect more than the policing aspect. 例如, looking into the different reasons that can lead someone to committing a crime,” Russell-Coprich 说. “I plan to go back and get my Ph.D. because I’d like to teach theory.”

Despite growing up in Denver, she hadn’t heard of UNC. 参观格里利校园 led to Russell-Coprich choosing the university as an undergraduate, and COVID-19 cemented her decision to stay close to home for her graduate studies. 到那时，她已经伪造了 紧密校园连接.

“I knew that the staff and faculty would not let me fail. Dr. Terranova是我的导师 in undergrad and chair for my thesis. She really pushed me, and I don’t think I would have gotten through the program without her,” 说 Russell-Coprich.

She did so much more than “get through” the program. 

Russell-Coprich dove deep into her studies and research. At the same time, she participated in numerous 学生 clubs, the Black Student Union, Black Campus Ministry and intramural 体育. Her campus leadership positions included roles as the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Theta Iota chapter president and Black Women of 今天 president. 她是一名教师 assistant and held a job with a national youth organization. 

Fortunately, the master’s program in Criminology and Criminal Justice is designed with the flexibility to allow 学生 to work full-time jobs and pursue 其他的利益. 教师 members include lawyers, criminologists, public policy experts 和侦探. Some consult with police departments and the state department of corrections. Classes are offered in a hybrid format, some online and others in Loveland*. Russell-Coprich recalled that 学生 formed a close bond during their online sessions.

学生 in the program conduct original research with real-world applications while working closely with experts in the field. In her graduate research, “No Justice, No Peace, An Examination of the Protester Experience,” Russell-Coprich looked at traumas experienced by protesters at the hands of police officers.

“What I found was not only were people having their own post-traumatic stress disorders, but they also were having secondhand traumatic experiences from seeing others’ trauma,” Russell-Coprich说.

Additionally, she participated in research resulting in an open educational resources (OER) textbook and a study that examined the challenges of being released from prison after the world has changed post-COVID-19. 

Her hard work garnered Russell-Coprich the 研究生 Dean’s Citation for Excellence 今年春天. The award recognizes superior academic achievement in graduate studies. She was nominated by Victoria Terranova and Kyle Ward, associate professors in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

“I was the only master’s 学生 to receive the citation this time; the rest of the 受助人为Ph.D. 学生. It showed me that all my work for the last two years has really paid off,” Russell-Coprich说.

Terranova mentored Russell-Coprich starting when she was a senior-year undergraduate 学生. She recalled Russell-Coprich being prepared for her classes and putting the 花时间去获得成功. She connected with other 学生 and faculty no matter 她有多忙.

“She’s been good all along about taking the things that were interesting and important to her and translating them into what she wanted to study. 作为她本科学习的一部分 thesis, she interviewed college 学生 whose parents had been formerly incarcerated to learn how that impacted their achievement. She also presented some of her research at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences conference in spring 2022,” 说 Terranova.

Russell-Coprich graduated this summer and is applying to doctoral programs. 

“如果博天堂官方有博士学位.D. program for me, there’s no way I would leave. 我会得到所有 three degrees there,” Russell-Coprich说. 

[* The Criminology and Criminal Justice M.A. program is now offered with classes at 格里利校园和网上.]

— 作者:Brenda Gillen