Criminal justice professor finds passion in teaching and travel
Whitney Leggett
| |
| |
|
On the fourth floor of the Stratton building is a very eclectic office. The walls are covered with photographs, stained glass art pieces and framed newspaper clippings. Pictures of friends, family and far-off lands are scattered on tables and desks around the room. Colorful beads hang from the shade of a large lamp; the couch is decorated with huge pillows adorned with tropical flowers, and the bookshelves are crammed full. All of these separate pieces, from different places and with a different significance, fit together to tell the story of Dr. Carole Garrison.
Garrison, a professor and former chair for the Department of Criminal Justice and Police Studies, began her career as an officer. She said female officers are rare and she just happened upon the career.
"I was volunteering at a detention center and met a woman who was an ex-cop," Garrison said. "I wanted to go back to school, and she told me about a government program that would pay for cops to go to school."
Garrison looked into the program and began her work as an officer in the early 1970s.
Garrison describes herself as "a teacher at heart," and she decided to move into education.
"As an officer, your adrenaline controls you," Garrison said. "And the career can be really brutalizing. But, academia, while it has its challenges, opens people's minds to new ideas and contributes so much to society."
At Eastern, Garrison teaches both applied and practical ethics, as well as a course about women police officers.
"I learn something everyday," Garrison added. "Each time I'm in the classroom I'm not only teaching my students, but I'm learning and putting together another piece of the puzzle and I understand more and more. There's a lot of self discovery in the classroom."
Garrison contributes her success in the classroom to her inability to pass up an opportunity to teach. Her desire to teach has taken her to heights she always hoped to achieve.
"My dream was to be an international person," Garrison admitted.
In 1992, Garrison's dream came true when she became a part of the United Nations Transitional Authority. While working for UNTAC, Garrison was in charge of organizing elections in a selected Cambodian province.
"It was my job to get people registered and get the election ready," Garrison said.
A year later, Garrison returned to the states and went back to teaching. But, she admits she just wasn't happy. Three years later, Garrison returned to Cambodia as the executive director of the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia.
As part of the CCC, Garrison represented different humanitarian and charitable organizations to the Cambodian government.
While in Cambodia the second time, Garrison made a life-changing decision. At the age of 55, she adopted a 5-year-old Cambodian orphan named Tevi. At the time, Tevi, who is now 18, was 80 percent malnourished and Garrison made the choice to help make her life better.
"I firmly believe if you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem," Garrison said. "And I just don't want to be the problem. I want to do something simply because it's the right thing to do."
In addition to gaining a new child, Garrison gained much knowledge while serving in Cambodia.
She learned much from her work overseas, and said she began to question American society.
"I asked myself, 'What is wrong with us?'" she said. "We shop as a hobby and find 3-year-old clothes in our closets with the tags still on them, when people in other parts of the world have nearly nothing. I also learned a lot about the importance of family while I was in Cambodia."
Garrison shows pride in her family. As a mother of three daughters and a grandmother to five, it's safe to say that Garrison's desks and tables have become a family photo album of sorts.
Garrison has also formed a large "extended family" through her service with the UN, her time in Cambodia and her work as a teacher.
On top of her work for the UN, and her busy schedule as a mother and teacher, Garrison still manages to find time for herself. She has an affinity for movies of all kinds.
"My favorite is probably an old film called 'Lion in Winter'," Garrison said. "I just really love movies and I shop for them a lot on Amazon."
Garrison admits that she has a slight shopping addiction. She even went so far as to admit that she's a little obsessed with TJ Maxx and called herself a bit of a "shopaholic."
As for those colorful stained glass pieces of art that adorn the walls of her office, Garrison spends a lot of her free time creating them herself. She studied at the Art Institute in Chicago as a child and in her spare time she paints, makes rugs and creates pieces with stained glass and ceramic tiles.
Garrison has also developed a knack for making baby blankets and admits that it's a slightly surprising hobby of hers.
"If you even look like you're pregnant I'll make you a baby blanket," she joked. "But, honestly I don't think many people would expect to find me making and passing out baby blankets."
Garrison thinks many people are surprised to find out she doesn't carry a gun and she's just an ordinary person. With all that she's accomplished and all that she's involved in, Garrison strives for normalcy.
"My life was driven more by circumstance than direction," she explained. "I don't consider myself to be anything but normal. And that's what I really want people to know about me: I'm just like them. But, because I refuse to say no to any opportunity, I've found that my life has been really privileged."
No comments:
Post a Comment