Angela McGuire, BA Sociology, TU 2004; 

1.  What have you been doing since graduating from TU in 2004?
The first thing I did was I went on vacation to New England. It was a nice way to celebrate graduating and take some time off before really focusing on the job search.

Once I came home from vacation I started looking for a job in a social service field. I was looking in the paper, on-line, talking to former employers and friends in order to find somewhere that I would want to apply. It was very hard and very tiring but I eventually found a job that I really enjoy.

I am working for the Office of Juvenile Affairs’ Juvenile Service Unit in Claremore, OK as a Juvenile Justice Specialist. The best way to describe it is that I am a juvenile probation and parole officer. Any time a juvenile is picked up by the police I have to see them and get them into services. Sometimes the juveniles don’t end up having to go to court because we can get them into counseling or other services without having to make them go before the judge. I am constantly in communication with the Judge, ADA, and local law enforcement trying to help juveniles that are in trouble get the services and help that they need.

Right now one of the special projects that I am working on is what we are calling the E.A.G.L.E Program. (Encouraging Adolescents through Goals, Lifestyle, and Education). This program will be aimed towards adolescents who need help with self-esteem, confidence, respect, discipline, etc… It will be a six week program  two days a week that will include a martial arts workout and then a group break down session with a licensed counselor.  I am really looking forward to seeing how this program will work out. One of the biggest things that I have noticed while talking to these teens is that so many of them have very little self-esteem and do not have any outside physical activities that they are involved in. Being a martial artist myself I know first hand how helpful martial arts is in building self-esteem, confidence, and discipline and I hope that the E.A.G.L.E. Program can give some teens another outlet and tool to learn these things.

2. What are your plans for the future?

I would really like to go back to school at some point. There are so many different things that I would like to do and that is making it difficult to decide exactly what I want to go back to school for. At the moment I am seriously considering possibly going to law school and getting a J.D. I think having a J.D. would allow me to go in many different directions in the future.

3. What has been the most rewarding experience for you since graduating?

Putting what I have learned in the classroom to use. It’s one thing to know that you have learned something important and valuable but a completely different thing to see that knowledge in action.   For example, when I ask myself why some of these young people make the choices that they make, I find myself thinking about discussions we had in Prof Chase’s socialization class or about theories we learned in Prof Foley’s deviance class. 

4.  What have been the most difficult experiences since graduating? 

The first thing that comes to mind is realizing that I was now officially a “grown up” and needed to go out into the world and make it on my own. Granted my mom was always there for me and would never just cut me off but she and the rest of my family had very different expectations for me once I walked across that stage.

Another thing that was difficult was wondering if I could make it. Even though deep down inside I knew I had the knowledge and skills to hold my own in the work world, it was very scary for me to begin my new job. Would I be good enough? Would they like me? What if I make a horrible mistake that can’t be fixed? You know, I had all these crazy questions running through my head.

5. What sources of support have you drawn on?

My mom and family of course. There were a number of times I called mom crying and needing someone to talk to whether it was roommate problems or thinking I was never going to get my senior project finished. :)   My fiancé and his family have always been there for me, too. 

6.  What advice do you have for current sociology majors?

I’m jealous. Don’t waste your time. I would give anything to redo my first two years because I didn’t take advantage of everything the Sociology Professors (or any professors for that matter) had to offer. I was too shy and scared to even raise my hand in class or approach a professor those two years and I can’t imagine how much better I would have done if I hadn’t of been so shy.

Get to know the professors. They have office hours for a reason. Stop in to ask a question about the next exam or to say hello and see how their weekend went. My senior year would have been much more difficult if it weren’t for the fact that I knew that I was welcome to stop by a professors office and was comfortable doing that.