Celestina Tarin graduated this past fall with a bachelor’s degree in social work, and will pursue her master’s degree this summer. As an undergraduate, she committed herself to the core values of social work, including social and economic justice, respect for the worth of others, cultural diversity, and the principle of self-determination. As a graduate student, she strives to master working with populations in urban settings, as well as prioritizing empowerment and social justice approaches. She works closely with the Department of Criminal Justice in supporting an “Urban Adventure” class and teaching a community resilience class. Both classes focus on developing strong communication, critical thinking, collaboration, leadership and empathy skills for students by placing them in crime scenes where they work through complex situations as police investigators. Tarin is passionate about unifying the principles of social work and criminal justice to promote healthier communities.