Cassidy Tucker

Professor Campbell
UCOL 2200
31 March 2015
Final Reflection: Career Exploration Summary
Having UCOL 2200 as a second semester freshman has certainly benefited me in helping
me find my purpose. Through this course I have been able to not only find my own purpose, but
also help identify my interests within the career I want to pursue which is criminal justice.
Having the chance to do personal/career exploration, opportunity to shadow a profession of my
interest, and being able to complete the assigned self-assessments and course activities has
helped me grow as an individual in finding my purpose.
This particular course, UCOL 2200, has helped me become a stronger individual in the
sense that it has directed me toward my career path. I have particularly enjoyed learning from the
diverse group of my other classmates and their personal/career experiences as well as from my
professor and his life experiences.
When asked to conduct an interview/job shadowing of a profession of my interest, there
was not a doubt in my mind of who I would contact. My junior year of high school, I had the
opportunity to shadow Cindy Bostic, what better way to follow up than with an interview. Bostic,
who is from the same county as myself, was one of ten Assistant District Attorneys. I say was
because as Assistant District Attorney, Bostic took a chance at running for District Attorney after
her boss, the current District Attorney, Sam Currin announced his retirement. Unfortunately,
Bostic lost the District Attorney race to her opponent, Mike Waters. Current DA at the time,
Currin, put in a good word for Bostic before, and also during her campaign as he had worked

along side her for over eighteen years, watching her grow within her career field as a prosecutor
which significantly helped propel her in the campaign. Since my junior year, I have had the
opportunity to keep in contact with Bostic and follow her all the way along her campaign. After
leaving the DAs office, Bostic was hired at a local law firm as a trial lawyer. Cindy Bostic
attended Radford University to obtain her B.A. in Political Science. She came in as undeclared,
but after taking a political science course as an elective, her interest in this subject skyrocketed
which led her to choose this career path. To be successful in college, Bostic says, I really tried
to discover myself along with my strengths and weaknesses. As for my strengths, I discovered
that I am a hard-working individual and am very driven especially to things I am passionate
about. After graduating from undergraduate school, Bostic took and passed the Law School
Admissions Test also known as the LSAT. She applied and was accepted to multiple law schools.
After much deliberation, Bostic decided to attend Campbell Law School located in Raleigh, N.C.
When speaking with Bostic, she really stressed the fact of how challenging law school was, more
so than she ever expected it to be. At times, Bostic said she did consider sometimes wanting to
change her career path but that the struggles, hard work, sweat, and tears only made her stronger
as an individual and more prepared for the job. Bostic said, I think what really helped me
succeed was being able to connect with and talk to my professors. With such a small class size, I
was able to get to know them on a personal basis. Bostic was offered the Assistant District
Attorney position as her first job coming out of law school. She says to be successful in this
field, you must be on your toes 24/7. You never know who is watching you and who is looking
either while in the classroom, at a job, shopping, or a night out with friends. She mentioned that
being from a small community, people talk and word spreads like fire so it is very important to
have a good reputation and to put your words into actions. It is also important to get involved

within your community, not just doing your job but helping others with their jobs. She ended by
encouraging me to take chances and not be afraid to pursue what I want to do in my life.
Transitioning from the shadowing/interview, the various activities assigned throughout
the course of the semester truly did help me in not only choosing a more specific career path, but
also in assessing what is important when planning out my career. One particular assigned reading
that I thoroughly enjoyed reading was the Henry Doss article, Innovation in Education. In
this article, Doss discusses five keys to educating the next generation. The five keys are
language, leadership, authenticity, breadth, and resilience. One that really stood out for me was
breadth. Doss describes breadth in being this AND that. Not just this, but also that. I think this is
important within todays changing times because there are so many advancements in technology
and society that it is important to be well-rounded and knowledgable of the changing world
around us.
In conclusion, I believe that anyone and everyone struggling with finding their purpose or
career path should be strongly encouraged to take this course. It is an excellent precedent for the
remainder of my college career and I am so excited that I got to take this course especially with
this professor!