Kaitlyn Shim is a student at Eastern New Mexico University majoring in criminal justice with a minor in psychology. The junior will be graduating from Eastern next May at the young age of twenty.

"I have always been fascinated with documentaries about crimes which gave me the interest of wanting to be a detective or investigator for crime scenes," states Kaitlyn.

With her degree, Kaitlyn hopes to work intelligence for a military company or the Air Force. This summer, Kaitlyn will be interning in for Kihomac, a military company, in Layton, Utah.

"My overall goal within my career is that I am good at it," Kaitlyn explains. "I can always enjoy these things, but I do hope I am a strong enough person to handle the things I know I am going to experience in either field I go into."

Kaitlyn, who made Dean's List in fall of 2017 and the spring of 2018, offers words of encouragement to students with her degree, stating, "I would advise those in my field of study to not get discouraged because the more you progress through your classes, the more you understand and will get it right."

The Greyhound is the ritual chairman of ENMU's Zeta Tau Alpha chapter, as well as an officer for Panhellenic chapter as the vice president of communications. She has also been an active member of the Associated Students Activities Board for almost two years. Kaitlyn is a peer mentor in the TRIO SSS Program at Eastern, where she is able to assist students who are struggling in certain subjects.

"Advanced Criminal Investigations" taught by Dr. Don Raley has been Kaitlyn's favorite course at ENMU. She says, "I enjoy it because of the lab connected to it where he allows us to do hands-on activities with crime scenes."

This is the first semester Kaitlyn has had Dr. Raley, but in that time she has highly enjoyed his hands-on teaching style and the relationships he builds with students. She says, "He allows you to feel comfortable speaking up in his class and even if you're wrong, he doesn't discourage you. He explains and helps you feel good about the answer you gave even though it wasn't completely correct."

Another professor at Eastern that has influenced Kaitlyn's education is Dr. Omar Camarillo, who challenges his students while still encouraging them to learn and grow. In addition, she is thankful for Professor Dr. Kristin Waldo, who is also her advisor. Kaitlyn explains, "She cares so much for students. I feel very comfortable coming to her for help in anything."

The Campus Union Building is Kaitlyn's favorite place on campus. Kaitlyn enjoys the social aspect of the building, explaining, "I can walk in and see so many of my friends with and stop to have long conversations. I genuinely enjoy socializing with everyone."

She is proud to be a Greyhound and loves the "community feeling you have when every organization comes together."

Kaitlyn was born in Fairbanks Alaska, where her dad was stationed before she was born. The majority of Kaitlyn's childhood was spent in Farmington, New Mexico with her mother, but she has lived in Idaho, Florida, Utah, Nevada and Texas.

Her father, Harvey Shim, is active duty Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant, and her stepmother works for a military company. Her mother, Tawnya Delgado, is a manager for an endodontist office, and her stepfather, Ernie Delgado, is a high school teacher. She has one younger sister, Meghan, who will graduate from high school this May, and two younger brothers, Heath and Riley.

Kaitlyn's hobbies include dancing, coloring, socializing, binge-watching TV shows and traveling.