Graduate Student Profiles

Corwin Bjelic

Doctoral Student

Corwin Bjelic is a second-year master’s student in the criminal justice program. His research interests include Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and it relates to behavioral changes and criminal propensity, as well as resources available to those with histories of TBI whilst they are incarcerated. Corwin enjoys playing bass guitar, going to the gym, travelling, and boxing.

Daniel Bustillos

Doctoral Student

Daniel Bustillos is a second-year master’s student in criminal justice. His research interests include homicide investigations and mental health in criminal justice. Outside of academics, Daniel enjoys DJing for fun and going on hikes.

Siena Chavez

Doctoral Student

Siena Chavez is a first-year Ph.D. student in criminal justice. Her research interests include rehabilitation programs, crime prevention, and eyewitness testimony. Outside of the academic world, Siena enjoys photography and spending time with her dog, Nugget.

Laurel Dietrich

Doctoral Student

Laurel Dietrich is a first-year Ph.D. student in criminal justice. Her research interests include drug policy, gender-based violence, and extremism. Outside of academics, Laurel enjoys cooking and traveling.

Heather Fleck

Doctoral Student

Heather Fleck is a second-year post-master's Ph.D. student in the Department of Criminal Justice. Her research interests include the death penalty, policing, and juvenile justice. Outside of academics, she enjoys reading, writing, and playing video games.

Chris Forepaugh

Doctoral Student

Chris Forepaugh is a seventh-year doctoral student in the Department of Criminal Justice. His research interests include hate crimes, police use of force, police-community relations, and community safety. He has taught courses on crime theory, research methods, and statistics, as well as the introductory course. Outside of academics, Chris is an avid sports fan and enjoys fitness and reading.

Alekzandria Golenkov

Doctoral Student

Alekzandria R. Golenkov is a first-year master's student in criminal justice. Her research interests include city structures that influence criminal behavior and wrongful convictions. Outside of academics, Alekzandria likes to snowboard and run.

Brenda Gonzalez

Doctoral Student

Brenda is a second-year master's student in criminal justice. Her research interests include corrections and family separation, focusing on the lived experiences of incarcerated parents and their children. Outside of academics, Brenda enjoys playing video games with her younger sister.

Anjhela Henry

Doctoral Student

Anjhela Henry is a first year post-BA doctorial track student in criminal justice. Her research interests include crime prevention, violence in communities and pathways to offending. Outside of academics, Anjhela enjoys going to the movies and discovering new crafts.

Qingyang Hong

Doctoral Student

Qingyang Hong is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in criminal justice. His research interests include policing, body-worn cameras, media, and legitimacy. He specializes in both quantitative statistical analysis and qualitative research methods and is currently teaching CRJ 211 Policing in America. Outside of academia, Qingyang enjoys hiking, cooking, and baking.

Rachel Housden

Doctoral Student

Rachel Housden is a third-year Ph.D. student in criminal justice. Her research interests include social media and crime, mass media, and hate crimes. Outside of academics, Rachel enjoys spending time with her cats and watching scary movies.

Geunho Jang

Doctoral Student

Geunho Jang is a first-year Ph.D. student in criminal justice. His research interests are cybercrime prevention and victimization including crypto currency, AI, and ransomware. Geunho enjoys playing soccer and exploring new places.

Millinda Johnson

Doctoral Student

Millinda Johnson is a first-year master’s student in criminal justice. Her research interests include juvenile justice, gender and crime, and victimology. Outside of academics, Millinda enjoys skiing and traveling.

Bora Jung

Doctoral Student

Bo Ra (Bora) Jung is a third-year Ph.D. student in criminal justice. Her research interests include cybercrime, with a particular focus on dark web investigations and cryptocurrency analysis. Outside of academics, Bo Ra enjoys spending time with her cat.

Pierre Lescure

Doctoral Student

Pierre Lescure is a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Criminal Justice at UNLV, where he also earned his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. His research interests include two primary areas: 1) the dynamics of intimate partner violence, specifically male victims of female offenders, and 2) the effectiveness of matching participants with like-minded interventions based on their…

Amy Lim

Doctoral Student

Amy Lim is a second-year Ph.D. student in criminal justice. Her research interests include romance scam, drug-related recidivism, and community policing. Outside of academics, Amy enjoys hiking and running.

Jordan Lockett

Doctoral Student

Jordan Lockett is a first-year post-B.A. Ph.D. student in Criminal Justice. He graduated from UNLV in May 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in public health. His research interests include the socioeconomic factors that lead to crime, wrongful convictions, systematic racism in the criminal justice field, and prevention of recidivism/crime prevention through rehabilitation programs and assessment.…

Ashley Longhurst

Doctoral Student

Ashley Longhurst is a third-year post-BA Ph.D. student in Criminal Justice. Her research interests include victimization, victim-offender overlap, disabilities, and sexual victimization. Additionally, outside of academics Ashley enjoys sailing with her family.

Elisha Longoria

Doctoral Student

Elisha Longoria is a fourth year Ph.D. student in the Criminal Justice Department. Her research interests include community corrections, specifically unmet basic needs within supervised populations and the evaluation of evidence-based practices. When she is not researching or teaching, Elisha spends much of her free time reading.

Anna Nakazawa

Doctoral Student

Anna Nakazawa is a third-year post-BA Ph.D. student in the Department of Criminal Justice. Her research interests include crime prevention and policing. Outside of academics, Anna loves to snowboard and spend time with her dog, Mochi.

Emily Oberg

Doctoral Student

Emily Oberg is a second-year Ph.D. student in criminal justice. Her research interests include victimization, with a focus on violence against women and intimate partner violence. When not on campus, Emily is likely with her rescue dogs, reading, or making sourdough.

Jorden Prins

Doctoral Student

Jorden Prins is a first-year Ph.D. student in criminal justice. His research interests include psychology in the legal system, jury decision making, and stalking victimization. Outside of academics, Jorden enjoys hockey and hanging out with his friends and family.

Jingzhi Wang

Doctoral Student

Jingzhi Wang is a first-year Ph.D. student in criminal justice. Her research interests include crime prevention and control, especially spatial analysis. Outside of academics, she enjoys spending time with her cat, Maple.

Kamali’ilani Wetherell

Doctoral Student

Kamali’ilani Wetherell is a doctoral candidate in the Criminal Justice Department at UNLV and a National Institute of Justice graduate fellow. Her research interests include missing persons, homicide, and unsolved crime. Kamali’ilani enjoys camping and hiking around the Southern Nevada area in her free time.

Kyle Bradley

Master's Student

Kyle Bradley is a second-year master’s student in the Department of Criminal Justice. His research interests include mental health in the justice system, violent crime, and law enforcement. Outside of academics, Kyle loves exploring ghost towns, along with rock climbing and hiking.

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