Criminal justice major finds her passion in classroom, on the job
Lakeland University helped Lila Weyker find her professional passion, and LU’s Cooperative Education program helped her find a post-graduation home.
Weyker, of Cedar Grove, Wis., will graduate on May 9 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with an emphasis in victimology. Thanks to the Co-Op program, she’s already got a full-time job secured with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections at its Sheboygan probation and parole office.
Her realization of her career path came thanks to a classroom experience, which led to real-life experience through the Co-Op program, which allows Lakeland students to earn academic credit in full- and part-time roles with Co-Op partner companies and organizations.
A graduate of nearby Cedar Grove-Belgium High School, Weyker came to Lakeland unsure of her major. Lakeland was close to home so she could commute, and her father, Paul, was employed as the institution’s painter.
She took the introduction to criminal justice class with Professor of Criminal Justice Karin Miofsky, and she was hooked.
“I loved it,” Weyker said. “It was the first subject I was interested in. It was enjoyable to listen to the content, and I was really engaged in class.”
Probation and parole came on her radar in a class taught by Professor of Criminal Justice Richard Lemke when he invited a probation supervisor as a guest speaker.
She followed up, which led to a Co-Op job beginning this past January working in the Sheboygan office. “I really enjoyed that,” Weyker said. “I was able to get a feel for the job before applying for it. It helped me have an understanding of the day-to-day job.
In April, she applied for and was offered a full-time probation officer role.
“If it wasn’t for me doing this internship, I don’t know if I would have gotten into the Sheboygan office,” she said. “I already know so much about the job. The Sheboygan office has great camaraderie, and they were willing to take me along to different situations.
“They were very welcoming and that definitely encouraged my success in getting the job itself.”
At the recent Lakeland Honors Banquet, Weyer was named the Outstanding Student in Criminal Justice for her work.
Weyker’s first off-campus work experience came her junior year when she worked for Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization. She got experience in SCIO’s Bridgeway & Beyond, a residential transitional living program and after care for homeless and at-risk moms and their children, and Family Pathways, a supervised visitation program so that children can safely visit with non-custodial parents.
“That job prepared me for the probation office,” Weyer said. “When I interviewed for the probation job, I could relate the questions back to the SCIO job.”
She will graduate with 12 academic credits through working for the Department of Corrections and SCIO and reflecting on that work with faculty, bridging the learning that happens in Lakeland’s classrooms and the real-world classroom.
