Dallas College

Student Experience: Giovanna Salazar

“I really fell into studying Criminal Justice. It wasn’t my first choice — I had originally picked marketing but with the recession had to revamp my career plans. My mom’s a legal secretary and my stepdad’s an attorney, so I thought, ‘Why not Criminal Justice?’ Then in the first year, I discovered I really liked it. 

“I like that my professors don’t just have academic knowledge but have a working background in all different fields. It brings more interest to our classes and we get to have a much better idea of what we’ll be up against in the future in our careers. 

“My career dream? I want to go into Border Patrol — there aren’t enough women in it now. There’s a lot of backlog in immigration processing, which interests me. I do need to learn more Spanish — even though I’m Hispanic, I’m not perfectly fluent because my mom emphasized English when I was growing up. I’m going to work on that, though. 

“There are so many career avenues in criminal justice — it’s not just about becoming a police officer. I’m very detail-oriented and I think I’ll be able to be successful on the job.” A

s of the end of May 2011, Giovanna Salazar will have earned an Associate in Arts degree with a field of study in Criminal Justice. She plans to transfer to Texas Woman’s University to earn a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.


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Vera L. Jones

Verna L. Jones, M.S.W.

Executive Director Under 1 Roof
“The most important things I learned in Eastfield’s Social Work program was integrity and making sure that you have good follow-through as well as the importance of the social work code of ethics — you rely on these ethics as a social worker.”
Sociology
Veronica Alejandro

Veronica Alejandro

Dallas College student and hopeful future police officer
“I want every day to be a new challenge and I want to help people – but not from behind a desk. My criminology classes have all been good and I like the life experience my professors bring to the classroom.”
Criminal Justice
Kristine Farmer

S. Kristine Farmer

Employment Litigation Case Manager Fish and Richardson, PC
“My paralegal classes really gave me the fundamental foundation of what it means to be a paralegal. I had always been the only paralegal in a small law firm and I got a much better understanding of how paralegals are utilized in much larger firms. I got a lot of practical information, particularly in legal research and writing, on how to write persuasively. The overall quality of instruction was really just exceptional.”
Paralegal
Sheila Grace (Isom)

Sheila Grace, M.S., LPCI

Counselor Gateway Foundation In-Prison Treatment Center Brownwood
“How did I get to Eastfield’s Substance Abuse program? To be honest, I was in recovery myself. When I got to Eastfield, I did not even know what a semester hour was — I just knew I wanted to do something that would help someone else escape the horrors of addiction.”
Social Work
Giovanna Salazar
Giovanna Salazar
Dallas College student and hopeful future border patrol officer
Criminal Justice
School of Law and Public Service
Updated July 28, 2026