Chenesia Brown wants to help people.

At first, the December graduate candidate thought she would start as an attorney and go on to be a judge. Instead, she chose to study criminal justice because she always wanted to be involved in the legal system in a way she thought she could make the most difference.

After doing scholarly research while in the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, Brown decided her best opportunity to make an impact was through additional research, service, and teaching.

“Historically speaking, change occurs when there is an increase in societal knowledge, which I plan to increase through my research,” said Brown, who expects to earn her bachelor’s degree this month.

She plans to pursue a Ph.D.

Dr. Emily Berthelot, assistant professor in the department of criminal justice, served as Brown’s mentor for the McNair program.

“In the time that I have known Chenesia she has been an extremely bright and conscientious student. She is an absolute pleasure in and out of the classroom.”

Berthelot commended Brown on teaching herself research methods and statistics in a very short period of time in order to complete a high quality, quantitative research project for the McNair program.

The title of Brown’s project for the program is “Perceptions of Crime: Rates versus Perceptions of Crime North and South of I-630 in Little Rock, AR.” She analyzed rates of crime in Little Rock to determine whether perceptions of crime in the city were accurate. Brown collected data from both local and national sources, including the Little Rock Police Department and the American Community Survey.

“In my years teaching,” said Berthelot, “I have not met many students that are as comfortable and confident discussing controversial topics and engaging in difficult tasks under short timeframes.”

In addition to being an accomplished student and researcher, Brown is active in university programs. She is a Chancellor’s Leadership Corps Scholar, a service and sustainability representative for the Housing Activities Council, and a peer educator for Health Promotion, Programs, and Education — a program that offers prevention information, education, and outreach programs on a variety of health and wellness topics.

Additionally, Brown was chosen to participate this past summer in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Student Research Opportunities eight-week program.

Brown is active in several student organizations on campus such as the Criminal Justice Society and the Pre-Law Society. In addition to the time she puts into these programs and school, she also volunteers at charity events and community service projects.

“When she is not focusing on schoolwork, she is focused on helping to better her community and herself,” Berthelot said.

Brown said she was inspired by a quote from Norman Vaughan to reach this milestone in her life: “Dream big and dare to fail.”