"I hope to bring justice to those who have experienced violent crime, and I want to be able to give peace to their families," says Victoria Forte, who prefers to be called "Tori." Tori is a student at the Eastern New Mexico University pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in criminal justice.
"I chose to study political science and criminal justice because I hope to be a criminal prosecutor. The field of criminal justice has always intrigued me, as well as the court system of the United States of America. I hope to become a criminal prosecutor or possibly work in the DA's office."
The senior, who has been included on the Dean's List three times, will be graduating next May. She picked ENMU as an institution of learning over others because of the small, hands-on classroom structure and family-like feel of the campus. An avid reader of true crime novels, Tori's favorite class is "Advanced Criminal Investigation." She explained that it "tested things I have learned while in school and taught me new things through practical application of the skills we had learned in that class."
Her "three main mentors" during her time at Eastern have been Dr. Daniel Acheson-Brown, professor of political science, Dr. Steven Brust, assistant professor of political science, and Donald Raley, instructor of criminal justice. "Each has provided me with extremely useful tools in furthering my knowledge in my major and working towards my ultimate goal after college," she shared.
A former senator in the Associated Students of Eastern New Mexico University (ASENMU), Tori has also been an officer for the National Panhellenic Conference twice. Currently, she is in the Pre-Law Club and works part-time at the Golden Student Success Center as a Greyhound Guide. In addition, she is on the executive board of the women's fraternity of Chi Omega. She has been a member of Chi Omega since her freshman year.
Tori spends a lot of time at the Golden Student Success Center, both studying and hanging out with friends. "I like the library best for studying because it is a place I can go to work with little distraction," she averred. She added that she enjoys being a Greyhound because of the ability to "walk around the campus and know nearly everyone I come across. If you are involved and put yourself out there, it's not difficult to make friends on campus."
She has few words for students planning to pursue her field of study; "While it can be hard work, success comes to those who put their whole heart into what they are doing."
The Greyhound was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but was raised for a short period in Los Lunas. She has a younger sister named Kristina. Their mother is an English and psychology teacher at Del Norte High School in Albuquerque, and her father was a mechanical designer.
When asked about her favorite hobbies, Tori shared that she loves reading true crime novels, doing crossword puzzles, binge-watching Netflix and "as Leslie Knope would put it 'jamming in my planner.'"
