Bria Garvin

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Bria Garvin is a Paralegal Studies major from Bowling Green and is a graduate of Bowling Green High School. She is also majoring in Forensic Psychology with minors in Political Science and Criminology. Bria is actively involved in the Mahurin Honors College where she serves as the president of the Mahurin Honors College Scholars of Color and was recently selected as a HonorsTopper for the Honors College. Additionally, she is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Majoring in Paralegal Studies has allowed Bria to expand her knowledge of the legal system and its functions and help prepare her to achieve her career goals. Adding a minor in Political Science to supplement her two majors has allowed Bria to learn more about the relationship between underrepresented minorities and political systems. A firm believer in equal rights, equal protections, and equal opportunities for all, minoring in Political Science has given her the opportunity to study how and why minority groups experience issues regarding their access to proper representation in the political system.

Courses in the department have helped prepare Bria by providing the tools and experiences she needs for her future. The minors and majors she has pursued have strengthened her writing, speaking, analytical, and reasoning skills. Her experiences as a student in Dr. Saundra Ardrey’s Minority and Politics class opened her eyes in many ways, especially regarding the relationship between all minority groups and the political system. Bria says, “Dr. Ardrey encouraged me to always be an active learner by teaching us to question why and how an event has occurred. Additionally, Dr. Ardrey instilled in her students the practice of conducting outside research regarding topics taught in class. This ensured that we truly understood the full historical and political context behind every event.” Paralegal Studies Professor Julie Shadoan has challenged her to sharpen and develop her writing skills, as well as expand her written and spoken vocabulary. Bria is grateful for the professors in the Department of Political Science who have helped her develop the skills and knowledge needed to achieve her post-graduation goals. After graduating from WKU, Bria plans to pursue a master's degree and a doctoral degree in forensic psychology. Her dream job would be becoming a criminal profiler for the FBI. (May 2021)