Brienza named February Student of the Month

Brienza, a junior from Buffalo, South Dakota, who is pursuing a Criminal Justice degree with a minor in Psychology, said he has always been interested in Criminal Justice.

“I ultimately knew I wanted to help people,” Brienza said. “I know that I can accomplish that through working in Criminal Justice. I was interested in health care for a really long time and actually started out here as a human bio major, but can just picture myself in Criminal Justice a lot easier.”

Brienza is active with CSC’s Student Senate, serving as the current Vice President of Finance.

Brienza takes pride in being a first-generation student.

“I didn’t have people to help me out or tell me what to expect and I struggled a little bit my first couple of years, but I’m still here and I’m going to finish (earning my degree),” Brienza said.

After graduation, Brienza plans to join the military before pursuing a master’s degree.

Coming from a military family, his decision to join was natural.

“It seems like all of my family is in the military: My uncle was in the Navy, my grandpa was in the Navy, my great-grandpa was in the Navy, and both my mom and stepdad are in the Army,” Brienza said. “I just like the family dynamic of it.”

Ten years from now, Brienza says he pictures himself living on the East Coast, working as a profiler or analyst in one of the intelligence agencies: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Transportation Safety Administration, or the Secret Service. Brienza feels that his psychology minor will help assist him in working in one of these agencies.

Brienza’s interest in becoming a profiler was sharpened after taking Criminal Profiling with Dr. Jamie Wada, which he said is his favorite class because it was interesting and will directly correlate to his future career path.

Wada observes qualities in Brienza that he feels will contribute to his success in life.

“Colton is an absolute pleasure to have in class,” Wada said. “He is engaged, hard-working, and a good friend to his peers: Qualities that not only make a good student, but moreover qualities that create success in life.”

Chadron State College’s Project Strive/TRiO program, located in the lower level of the King Library, is an academic enrichment program committed to help students succeed. Project Strive also focuses on career exploration, cultural and social enrichment and self-awareness. To be eligible for the program, a student must be one of the following: A first generation student where neither parent has a four-year degree, meet low income status based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services criteria, or have a documented disability. For more information, visit www.csc.edu/projectstrive.

—Molly Langhorst