Breadcrumb
Criminology & Justice Studies, B.A. | Class of
Marilyn Villalba
Neighborhood Partnership Coordinator at Feeding San Diego
Employer: Feeding San Diego
Job description: It is my responsibility to not only work with partner agencies in the South region of San Diego but also build and maintain relationships with these partner agencies. My primary goal is to inform partner agencies that I am more than just a representative of FSD, I am also a representative of the South region as I grew up in the area and understand the needs of the community from experience.
About Marilyn
Why did you choose this program?
At first, I wanted to be an FBI Agent, then I wanted to be a probation officer for youth, but the one thing that remained consistent for me was wanting to help people. I chose this program because I wanted to know why people were committing crimes and understand how their internal and external environments are contributors to recurring offenses. It also helped that Humboldt was really far away from home which encouraged me to try things outside of my comfort zone like studying abroad, participating in large presentations where I got to showcase my research in Portland and Long Beach, and so much more.
How did this program prepare you for your job?
I actively use many of the tools I learned from the CJS program currently. Many of the ideologies and theories I learned certainly overlap in my professional life, but also my personal life. This program taught me more about social norms and constructs and really opened my eyes to systems of oppression I was unaware of before attending HSU. Since then, I have worked with at-risk youth who have a socioeconomic upbringing similar to mine. Because we both had a shared experience it made it easier to earn their trust and most importantly, their respect. After some time I decided that my time serving youth had come to an end, I quickly realized I wanted to work with the larger community and that’s when I found Feeding San Diego.
As an undergraduate student, I was very familiar with food insecurity and understood this is not only an issue individuals without a home face. As a college student I was certainly affected, and this encouraged me to apply for CalFresh benefits. While utilizing this service I learned who this program supports and wished more students took advantage of the opportunity. Fast forward to present day, I’ve had the opportunity to specifically speak to undocumented individuals and inform them that this is a resource that is available to them. What I found as a continuing trend was many undocumented folks fear applying for this service because they are afraid their citizenship status will be affected, which is not true.
What did you enjoy most about the program?
I appreciate how much the CJS program values intersectionality so much that many of the classes offered for the major included Philosophy, Sociology, Critical Race & Gender Studies, Native American Studies, and more. I also really appreciated how easy it was to reach out to my instructors to obtain feedback on an assignment. I appreciated their flexibility to work and meet with me but also how they always encouraged me to reach my potential.
What would you say to prospective students who are thinking about applying to this program?
It is easy to be afraid of going to a new area where you won’t know anyone or be familiar with the community. It is because of this that I say, go for it. A wise person once told me that college is the perfect place to start all over and reinvent yourself, and that is exactly what the CJS program at HSU did for me. This program gave me the critical thinking skills I needed to help dismantle social norms and expectations but also challenge me to be the person my community needs me to be in order to bring change. The staff and faculty are incredible and I appreciate and think of them to this very day, I don’t know where I would be without their support, words of encouragement, and transparency.