Part of the 2024-25 Student Spotlight Series, featuring Teresa Johnson of Oto, Iowa.
While everyone finds their career path in different ways, it was an unfortunate high school tragedy involving a classmate that led Teresa Johnson to major in Criminal Justice at Wayne State. The senior from Oto, Iowa, is this week’s focus of the Student Spotlight Series.
In January 2020, Johnson’s 16-year-old classmate named Joseph Hopkins was shot and killed by a friend he was working with on a demolition derby car in a garage. The incident and the ensuing trial would have a lasting impact on Johnson.
“I became immersed with everything surrounding that case,” said Johnson. “Sitting through the trial, listening to testimonies, and learning about evidence really sparked my interest in criminal justice. If this tragedy hadn’t happened, I probably would have majored in graphic design or photography in college, or maybe something else in communication arts.”
“When I was thinking about going to college, Wayne State was the only college I considered attending,” continued Johnson. “It’s only about 70 miles from my hometown, and the Criminal Justice Department is what really sold me on it. The department has great facilities and faculty members.”
Johnson’s passion for criminal justice isn’t just a passing fancy. During the summer, she did an internship with the Iowa State Patrol Post 5 in Cherokee, Iowa, that taught her about the many areas of criminology and law enforcement such as drugs and narcotics, the Department of Criminal Investigation, and firsthand experiences with Iowa State Troopers during ride-alongs.
At Wayne State, Johnson serves as the president of It’s On Us, a team of student leaders who help raise awareness about sexual and interpersonal violence. She’s a member of Alpha Phi Sigma (criminal justice honor society), the Criminal Justice Association, Pi Gamma Mu (international social sciences honor society), SkillsUSA, Tau Upsilon Alpha (national human services honorary), the National Society of Leadership and Success, and the women’s wrestling team.
Johnson will graduate in December, and she intends to pursue a career with the Iowa State Patrol