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- Career Services
- Sociology and Criminal Justice major and minor requirements [PDF]
- Sociology and Criminal Justice major and minor requirements [PDF]
Jason Silvia '08 from Middletown, R.I., was accepted into the U.S. Marshal Co-op program which prepares undergraduate students for Deputy U.S. Marshal positions.
By Melissa Fowler '09
Senior Jason Silvia from Middletown, R.I.
Planning and executing arrest warrants, locating wanted people, positively identifying and maintaining custody of people after an arrest and executing the civil and criminal process at the direction of the courts are all part of an average day for a U.S. Deputy Marshal. Since April, Jason Silvia '08 from Middletown, R.I., had the opportunity to experience life as a U.S. Marshal after being accepted into their co-op program, which prepares undergraduate students for Deputy U.S. Marshal positions.
The application process for getting into the program took Silvia more than a year to complete. He applied in February 2007 and had to pass a full-field background investigation, medical exam, fitness test and a structured interview.
"It was a long, drawn-out process," said Silvia, whose previous internship was with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration – a first for a Virginia Wesleyan student.
Silvia finally passed the application process in early April. Since then he has worked with the U.S. Marshals five days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. His duties and responsibilities have included serving warrants, serving as security during court and filling out the necessary paperwork associated with the job.
"I have enjoyed all of my experience," said Silvia. "I am learning the tools of the trade."
A member of the PORTfolio program, Alpha Phi Sigma, the national honor society for Criminal Justice, and Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society, Silvia feels the U.S. Marshals may be a good career fit for him after he finishes the co-op program and graduates from Virginia Wesleyan this August.
Although Silvia is a Criminal Justice major, the program is open to students in a variety of majors including political science, psychology, sociology, social science and public administration. Applicants must be at least 20 years old, a U.S. citizen and have the required GPA of 3.0 in their major field of study.
The U.S. Marshal cooperative education program requires students to spend more than 600 hours engaged in co-op work where they are exposed and receive training in the following areas: court support section, warrant section, criminal section, civil section and firearm familiarization. During the 16-week experience, Silvia is paid at the GS-4 level.
Virginia Wesleyan College partnered with the U.S. Marshals Service Centralized Student Career Experience Program (CSCEP) several years ago. Kate Bourdow, career counselor in the Career Services Center, attended a conference about the program in Savannah, Ga., to get more information about how Virginia Wesleyan students could get involved in the program.
"They [The Career Services Center] really helped out a lot," said Silvia. "They were instrumental for me getting into the program."
While most internships require applicants to handle the process on their own, the U.S. Marshals program required the application to go through the college's career service office.
"I worked with Jason to update his resume, fill out the appropriate paperwork and make contact with the necessary officials," Bourdow said. "Our office also coordinated his on-campus interview with the Marshals several months ago."
"I believe this co-op will be a wonderful way for Jason to get his foot in the door with the federal system," Bourdow said. "If Jason excels during his co-op, the Marshals will make him a tentative job offer and invite him down to Georgia to begin the official training he would need to undertake to become a Deputy U.S. Marshal."
05.14.08