Student Organization Spotlight: CJSA
The Criminal Justice Student Association familiarizes students with careers in criminal justice.
Through CJSA, members are able to learn more about the criminal justice system, listen to and network with professionals in their chosen field and participate in prison tours, police department visits, ride-alongs and police obstacle course trainings.
CJSA co-presidents, Gabriela Rosales and Samantha Ledesma, joined the organization because they had a passion for criminal justice and wanted to learn more about the different career opportunities within the field. Through this student organization, they have had the opportunity to meet people in their major, network with professionals, and help serve the community while representing SDSU.
Is the Criminal Justice Student Association open to all majors or is it major specific?
CJSA is open to anyone who is interested in criminal justice. Members must be enrolled full-time or part-time at SDSU or have graduated from SDSU.
When it comes to finding new members for your organization, what type of students are you looking for?
CJSA looks for students who have an interest in getting ahead in their career pursuit. Many of our members are interested in career paths such as law enforcement, legal studies, forensics and corrections. This organization provides numerous networking opportunities, as well as tours to different facilities so that students can make the connections they need when applying to jobs. We want to give members the opportunity to learn more about the potential careers they can pursue within their field of study at the local, state, and federal level.
When are your meetings and is there a membership fee?
Our meetings are held from 5-6 p.m. on Tuesdays. There is a membership fee of $40 that covers a member for an entire year. The meeting location for this semester is still to be determined, but prospective members can reach out to us via email at [email protected]. We will make sure to spread the word once it is determined as well.
Does your organization have any events coming up?
CJSA attends tours of different facilities, such as prisons, jails, and police departments. We also take part in police obstacle course trainings, ride-alongs and social events this semester. CJSA is also constantly looking for opportunities to give back to the community. We volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club every week, and every semester we have new members volunteering with Reading Legacies and in different juvenile facilities in San Diego.
CJSA is planning to collaborate with CSU Fullerton and CJSA organizations from other universities in the hope to create an annual event that will bring clubs from all over California together. We have also registered our members for the Left of Boom Proactive Threat Mitigation Strategies Conference from May 3-5. Additionally, we have our annual end of the year banquet set for May, which will be our final event.
How can students find more information about your organization?
Students can add us on Facebook at SDSU CJSA or follow us on Instagram at SDSU CJSA. These social media outlets allow all students to stay up-to-date with all the events we have going on in our organization. Students can also reach us by emailing [email protected].
Which SDSU faculty have had an impact on your organization?
We would like to give recognition to Joshua Chanin for continuously being our organization's adviser. He has provided us with advice to make sure we have a successful organization, and is willing to take the time out of his day to help us plan our events. We would like to also give recognition to Jeffery McIllwain, who has also supported our organization, and educated our members on criminal justice and how to gain the needed skills to pursue their careers. We would like to thank some of the faculty who have been guest speakers in our organization, including Patricia Frosio, Rulette Armstead, and John Cleary. Lastly, we would like to thank the School of Public Affairs, Stuart Henry, Nancy Flitcraft, and Julie O’Connor for their continuous support to CJSA.
