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Summer Internship in Japan

Christina Smith from Stafford, Va., completes internship with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Okinawa, Japan.

By Megan T. Spencer

Senior Christina Smith from Stafford, Va., was thousands of miles away from the United States, and she was able to embraced Virginia Wesleyan College's opportunities and support to the fullest.

Christina Smith (second row, right) attends a Liasion with the Japanese Narcotics Control Office and NCIS.
Christina Smith (second row, right) attends a Liasion with
the Japanese Narcotics Control Office and NCIS.

This summer, Smith took advantage of a summer internship that was offered to her by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) located in Okinawa, Japan. Through her course work in her major – criminal justice – and her internship experience, Smith hopes to start her career either with the NCIS or with the Federal Government as a criminal investigator.

For her internship, Smith was assigned a variation of duties and responsibilities. "In a nutshell, I assisted the special agents," she said.

Smith was also offered the opportunity to be a part of the Narcotics team where she participated in search and seizures, interviews and interrogations and command briefs. She also set up training briefs for other agents including first responders to sexual assault and forensic examiners of fingerprint evidence.

Like all internships, some of Smith's daily tasks did involve sitting at a desk with paperwork. When working with the Family Violence Unit, she had to sift through more than 30,000 e-mails to help find leads in an effort to capture sexual predators. While the work was tedious, Smith said it's an important part of the job.

"I have learned that the paperwork is the most important factor in a case," said Smith, "because it holds ALL the information. The information also grants you access to search warrants to help you solve a case."

Overall, Smith describes her internship in Japan as an amazing experience. The moment that stands out to her the most is when she got to use her in-class learning in the field.

"I think the highlight of my job was attending autopsies," said Smith. "Having taken anatomy and physiology classes at Virginia Wesleyan, it was incredible to see a human body up close and to be able to observe how everything comes together within the human body."

Smith accredits a large portion of her internship opportunity to two groups of people: her parents and her professors at Virginia Wesleyan.

"I'm very appreciative of my professors in the criminal justice major, who did a lot of work to get me to Japan," said Smith. "In addition, my parents have unconditionally given me the motivation to follow through with fantastic opportunities."

In addition to support from her family and professors, Smith said that her academic foundation from the classes at Virginia Wesleyan was also a key contributor to her success.

"The class that caught my interest was Criminal Investigations with Professor Thomas S. Liverman, who taught the class very well and had us engage in 'mock' trials and cases," said Smith. "I knew this is what I wanted to do from then on."

In addition, Japan holds a special place in Smith's heart. Half of her extended family resides in Okinawa, but she only had the opportunity as a child to visit briefly every five years. This internship gave her the opportunity to develop deeper relationships with family members.

"This experience was the perfect opportunity to get to know my family and my culture, while being able to experience things that most state-side interns don't have the opportunity to experience," she said.

While in Japan, Smith also formed a deeper understanding of the Japanese culture. There is a considerable difference between American and Japanese businesses and their daily operations, said Smith. She indicated that while on the job she "had to learn how to be respectful, their way." She further explained that the liaisons within the office offered valuable assistance toward her development of understanding culturally appropriate ways of handling business.

"I learned that customer service is the top priority, no attitude, always giving, and making sure the customers get what they need," she said. "I love Japan," she said, adding, "the people are so nice and willing to help and make sure your stay is worthwhile."

08.06.08