WKU Sociology & Criminology Alumni Profiles

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Sheena Milburn '06

Sheena Minburn graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2006 with a bachelor of arts degree. She has a degree in sociology and a double minor in criminology and psychology.

During her time at WKU, Sheena completed an internship through the Department of Sociology with the Court Designated Worker Program at her local Court House in Danville, KY. While there, she assisted with the informal processing of juvenile cases who met criteria for the Court Designated Worker Program instead of formal processing through the court. She would often make recommendations to the court for juveniles to participate in community service hours and/or curfews or rules that they had to agree to follow for an amount of time with no violations. This would serve as a contract between the CDW and the juvenile to help them reach a solution to avoid jail time.

Currently, Sheena’s position is independent case manager and qualified intellectual disability professional at A1 Case Management in Danville, KY. She has been with A1 Case Management since they opened in 2012.

Before working at her current job, she worked as a direct care professional in an adult day training program. Sheena would work with clients 18 and older who received services under the Supports for Community Living Waiver Program. She would work with clients on goals and educational material, while training to do case management. After completing my training through the Department of Intellectual Disabilities and Human Development Institute for Supported Employment she began doing case management as her sole responsibility in 2010. Sheens currently serves over 24 clients on her caseload who receive Michelle P. Waiver Services.

One of Sheena’s favorite things about her job is how she is reminded daily how simply someone can live and be so happy. “Each of my clients has a disability but it is so empowering to see that does not hold them back from reaching their full capacity, every single day.“

While at WKU, Sheena enjoyed her penology class with Dr. Bohlander. While taking this Penology class she had the opportunity to travel to several penitentiaries of low, medium, and maximum security. She remembers visiting Kentucky State Penitentiary as a field trip. One of the most powerful memories of this trip was seeing the decommissioned electric chair. “It was very powerful and saddening to feel the fingernail marks etched into the chair while someone sat in it waiting for their time to go.” Sheena feels her education and experience from WKU prepared her for the workforce. “I feel that my experience with the Sociology Department has prepared me to work in a variety of fields making my degree more marketable than most.”