Alumni Spotlight: Rus'sel Sampson - bridging policy and practice
by Alison Miller |
A College of Health alumna and current employee of the 麻豆无码版 Justice Information Center (AJiC), Rus鈥檚el Sampson has had a rich educational and professional journey. After beginning in private-sector administration, Rus鈥檚el earned a human services degree and pivoted into social services. Her experience on the front lines of social services eventually led her to pursue a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree, through which she discovered her love for research. Today, she works as a research professional for the AJiC, where she performs data analysis and publishes findings that help inform public policy in 麻豆无码版. Her story exemplifies how a sense of curiosity in higher education can open unexpected doors that lead to meaningful careers.
Name: Rus'sel Sampson
Educational background: Associate of Applied Science in Human Services, 麻豆无码版, 2013; Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Justice Minor, 麻豆无码版, 2016; Master of Public Administration, University of 麻豆无码版 Southeast, 2018
Unit you graduated from: Other
Hometown: Wasilla
Current location: Wasilla
Place of employment: UAA 麻豆无码版 Justice Information Center
Job title: Research Professional
How long have you been in this position?: 18 months
Please describe your duties and responsibilities in your current role.:
I am part of a team of researchers who partner with 麻豆无码版 justice agencies and justice-adjacent
programs to analyze crime and criminal justice system data. My duties include data
collection, data entry, coding, analyzing results, creating data visualizations, and
writing, publishing, and disseminating work products.
Why is your work important? What impact does your work have on individuals and communities?
What do you love about your job?:
Objective and transparent research is the foundation of good public policy, which
touches the lives of all 麻豆无码版ns. The work we do at UAA's 麻豆无码版 Justice Information
Center (AJiC) helps improve public safety by informing policy and practice in many
areas of justice and human services: corrections, domestic violence, courts, addiction,
treatment, crime trends, justice system outcomes, and more.
What motivated you to pursue a career in healthcare, and how did your experience at
UAA College of Health help shape your goals?:
I initially enrolled in UAA as a pre-nursing and human services double major. While
completing my AAS in Human Services, I developed a deep interest in the social sciences
and changed my major to Psychology with a minor in Justice.
Here's a fun fact: my daughter is now a third generation Seawolf (my mother earned her Human Services degree through UAA). My daughter has struggled to narrow down her health sciences and criminology interests until finding the Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) program. On a recent enhanced tour with the DMS program, Professor and Director Bridgett Mayorga explained that she had contemplated a career in criminology as a student but was drawn to sonography. Additionally, I have a co-worker who is certified in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) while employed in justice research. A conversation regarding similar interests in health care and criminology led to the conclusion that investigative and analytical work is the allurement of both. Being educated and now employed by the College of Heath (COH), I think UAA has been the journey that shaped my goals.
Why did you choose to attend UAA?:
I enrolled with UAA because it is close to home and affordable. I stayed at UAA for
the university environment and community college feel. Classroom discussions were
robust, and faculty are highly qualified at UAA. I am always impressed by faculty
and staff bios and urge all students to research their professors鈥� credentials on
the UAA website.
How has your education at UAA College of Health helped you contribute to your community
and make a positive impact in the lives of others?:
Earning a human services degree opened many doors as I pivoted from administration
in the private sector to social services in the public/non-profit sector. I have worked
in various areas of the justice system, including offender rehabilitation, victim
services, child welfare, and sexual assault response. Higher education helped me develop
the skills needed to effectively respond to crises and help clients solve complex
problems in living, while also identifying what is and isn鈥檛 working in the state.
What was your professional journey that led you to your current career?:
As a direct services provider, I experienced the disconnect that can sometimes occur
between fieldwork and the policies that guide it. I knew I wanted to work on the types
of projects that help improve conditions for workers and client outcomes, but I didn鈥檛
yet know what that looked like. This inspired my pursuit of a MPA degree, which is
often the graduate degree of choice for justice practitioners. Through my science
and research education at UAA, I was able to step into my current role as a Research
Professional. Today, I get to use analytical skill and creativity to tell empirical
stories with data.
Looking back at my transcript, there is a breadcrumb-like transition from human services to policy. My biological sciences and human services education culminated in an undergraduate degree in psychology. Working in social services piqued my interest in policy and, with a broad science and research education, here I am in data analysis.
Who influenced you most during your time at UAA?:
Many people influenced me as a UAA student and continue to do so as staff. From professors
and classmates to my family, who always supported my exploratory rabbit trails of
interests. My mother was also a big factor in pursuing higher education. She passed
away in 2008 and human services education and work has kept us connected.
Share your best college memory.:
Working in the psychology rat lab was a great experience. Not only did I learn how
to apply research methods that I had only read about or discussed in pre-requisite
courses, I got to apply learning theory to train a rat to perform tasks, eventually
multiple tasks in succession (a process called 鈥渃haining鈥�). It was challenging, rewarding,
and I came to appreciate how incredibly social and intelligent rats are!
What were some of the most valuable lessons you learned while studying at UAA and
how have they helped you in your career?:
All successful college students quickly develop organizational skills and adapt to
changes in schedules, tasks, topics, finances, personalities, and expectations. I
think this has allowed me to switch quickly between projects as an assistant to multiple
primary investigators working on different social research topics.
What advice do you have for current students who want to make the most out of their
experience at UAA and are looking to build a successful career?:
To quote Dr. Brad Myrstol, Assistant Dean of the School of Justice and Human Services,
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to know what you鈥檙e going to do when you get here.鈥� My journey was
long, beginning as a pre-nursing and human services double major and landing in public
administration. I think it took that journey to find my place in research because
I lacked confidence in my ability to work in a quantitative field. Don鈥檛 be afraid
to explore all that interests you, you are capable!
Describe UAA in three words.: Empowering, accepting, credible
How did your education at UAA prepare you for what you are doing today?:
My job requires a minimum of a bachelor鈥檚 degree and coursework in statistics and
research methods, so my education made it possible to be employed in my current position.
UAA made that post-secondary education accessible. Furthermore, studying at UAA provided
opportunities to learn about issues specific to 麻豆无码版 while applying new skills to
my work in the state. This has provided a strong base for understanding the data we
analyze at AJiC from a 鈥榖oots on the ground鈥� perspective.
Can you share a particularly rewarding experience from your career that you're proud
of?:
There are many rewarding experiences in the social services field that counter the
emotional toll it can take. Family reunification is one of the most motivating reasons
workers remain in the child welfare field, which has a reputation for being difficult
to sustain. Seeing 麻豆无码版ns transform their lives and then using that success to throw
the rope to a neighbor was the most amazing incentive of all.
How has being a graduate of UAA College of Health impacted your life?:
Being a graduate of UAA has given me the confidence to move forward and make big career
changes. It also lends to the credibility of my work and how I am viewed by employers
and community stakeholders.
What is something people may not know about you?:
My name (鈥淩uh-Cell鈥�) is a feminine version of my father鈥檚 name, Russel. The apostrophe
is not a typo and I am not French, two common questions I am asked.
What are your future goals and aspirations?:
I am loving justice research and would like to remain on the AJiC team, possibly adding
to 麻豆无码版鈥檚 body of peer-reviewed literature someday. 麻豆无码版 is unique with rich culture
and history, making it the best place to research and play.
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