Kevin Coriolan | News Editor

This summer, 2 Buena Vista University (BVU) undergraduates will get the chance to attend lectures on criminal justice and engage with other international students in Prague, Czech Republic.

Criminal justice majors sophomore Carlee Brown and junior Austin Gibbs were accepted to the Prague Summer Schools program after applying online and submitting a personal statement. During the week of July 4 to July 12, the two will learn of the relationship between psychology and law.

“Criminal justice, law, and psychology are the main focuses of the school and my passion. Experiencing them in a different country will be fun,” Brown said.

The Czech program was brought up to them by Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Dr. Neal McNabb. A student had participated in the program the previous summer despite the competitive nature of the program. Prague Summer Schools is open to students from all over the world. Brown and Gibbs were surprised when they were both accepted.

“I’m really glad that Austin is going. I’m more comfortable having a friend go with me,” Brown said.

She’s also excited to experience the new culture and go sightseeing in her first international trip.

Gibbs has been to Easter Island before with a past BVU travel experience. He’s interested in seeing the plethora of history present in the city of Prague. Fortunately for the two, the program offers different cultural experiences including a concert in the Rudolfinum, a famous music auditorium in Prague.

“I definitely think it will be a resume booster. The fact of travel experience and studying internationally in fields we’re going into,” Gibbs said. Both of the criminal justice students plan to continue their education after BVU, so the rigorous academic summer school will benefit them as well.

“A lot of these topics will come up again. So we’ll have conversation starters, and we’ll have a base for our knowledge,” Brown said.

The students are currently preparing for the July trip with the Innocence Project of Iowa, an organization focused on investigating Iowa criminal cases to prevent wrongful convictions. Brown and Gibbs are examining a case through Lambda Phi, BVU’s chapter of the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, Alpha Phi Sigma.

Offered for credit in the past, the Innocence Project of Iowa sends BVU students case transcripts to examine and then present on at the University of Iowa law school.

“A lot of the lectures and classes that we’ll attend will help us a lot with the Innocence Project,” Brown said.

After gaining more experience during their time in Prague, Brown and Gibbs will return for another Innocence Project assignment next semester. They believe that their time abroad is a sign of a growing criminal justice program at BVU.

“The process has been gradual, but the major has been going from a practical to more of an academic. This exemplifies what our program is doing,” Brown said.

Brown and Gibbs also considered travel experiences to Harvard and Amsterdam, but settled on Prague in the end.

Photo by Kevin Coriolan