By Andy Klotz—
MUNCIE, IN—Salem Wilt wants to be a criminal psychologist. The Muncie Central junior is interested in psychology and in law, so she believes criminal psychology could be the best of both worlds.
Becoming a criminal psychologist will take a lot of effort and specialized training, but Wilt is already ahead of many of her peers. She just completed Next Gen Academy, Muncie Central’s eight-week program about careers in public safety, social services and leadership.
“It’s really different,” Wilt said. “I’ve never been in a class like this, so it’s a new thing for me. We talk about the rules and criminal justice. We don’t really read out of books, so it’s more interesting to me.”
That’s exactly what Muncie Police Officer Arin Phillips was shooting for when she created the program – getting students interested in becoming Delaware County’s next generation of police officers, lawyers, social workers and the like.
“I was really excited to get into a high school setting and work with kids who have interest in law enforcement or criminal justice,” Phillips said. “I wanted to take our mentorship program, Girls Who Police, and make it more challenging and more ‘real world’ for high schoolers with what they’ve already experienced.”
That’s exactly what she’s done. The class of eight students has spent eight weeks on topics that have included modern policing, crisis response, forensics and evidence handling, investigative scenarios and more. The group toured City Hall and heard from professionals in various public safety positions.
“I cannot say enough about what a great group this is,” Phillips said. “I’ve seen them grow so much from week one to the end of the program. Every step of the way, they have been exceptional in what they’ve been doing.”
Anthony Shank, a senior, plans to major in criminal justice at Ball State. Television shows and Netflix documentaries drew his interest in the field, but this class has given him a more realistic view of law enforcement.
“I learned the difference between criminal justice and criminology,” Shank said. “I don’t want to study why serial killers do what they do. I want to be helping stop that sort of stuff.”
Cradle To Career Muncie
Next Gen Academy began as an idea by the Career Employment Collaborative Action Network (CAN), which brings together employers and educators to create a talent pipeline in different industries. The plan is to expose students to high wage, high demand career pathways in the Muncie area.
“My role at the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce is focused on talent development,” Ashley Williams, who leads the Career Employment CAN, said. “After hearing about the Girls Who Police program, I knew Officer Phillips could develop something similar for Muncie Central students interested in public safety. Partners like MPD and programs like Next Gen Academy are vital to helping students prepare for their future in the workforce.”
Career Employment is one of eight different CANs in the Cradle To Career Muncie initiative, a community-wide effort designed to prepare students for careers paying a livable wage. By pairing interested students with local employers, students can get a much better grasp on how to set themselves up for success after high school. Likewise, employers can get an in-depth look at students who could be future employees.
“It’s really inspiring to know that someday they’ll be in charge of some of the same responsibilities that I have, and they’re getting an understanding of it so early on,” Officer Phillips said. “I think that’s positive for Delaware County, and I hope we can keep them here and start developing a pipeline of talent in the criminal justice field directly from, probably Muncie Central, but all of Delaware County.”
To see more about Next Gen Academy, please visit youtu.be/owBeUqVTUe0?si=k4KHOmcwIkL1TFUD. Local employers interested in partnering with Muncie Central for career exploration opportunities should visit bit.ly/4dAELkl.
About Muncie Community Schools
Serving the local community since 1855, Muncie Community Schools (MCS) educates more than 5,000 students at six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school while also managing several other educational facilities. Through its unique partnership with Ball State University, MCS strives to maximize each student’s potential so he or she can be a positive, productive member of society.
