Introduction!

Hello everyone! My name is Caitlyn Emery. I'll be 20 years old on January 21st. I am originally from Greensboro, North Carolina and I moved to Palm Harbor, Florida when I was nine and have lived in the Tampa area ever since. I have two brothers, Brandon and Ben, and I am the youngest child and the only girl. 

I have many interests that include traveling, reading, sports, and Netflix. This summer I am lucky enough to be able to volunteer abroad in a small village near Siem Reap, Cambodia. While I am there I will be building houses, working with the children, and many more things. If you'd like to read more about my trip and what I'll be doing, please check out my personal page at http://www.gofundme.com/epp15k! After the two weeks I spend volunteering, I will be backpacking around Thailand and some other parts of Southeast Asia with my best friend, Gabby, and a few other girls from my volunteer group :) 

Choosing a college was never a hard decision because I was lucky enough to get into my dream school, the University of Florida. (Go Gators!) Here at UF, I am double majoring in criminology and political science with a minor in history. I am currently a second year, but I will be graduating early in the spring of 2016. After I graduate from UF, I plan on attending law school. I have a few schools in mind, but the University of Texas-Austin is at the top of my list. As for a career, I am not completely sure of what I want to do. I know that I am interested in federal law enforcement, politics in general- campaigns and elections more specifically, and of course, being a lawyer. 

I decided to take the Alcohol, Drugs, and Society course because I needed a criminology elective and this class seemed like it would be a really interesting course to take that was relevant today. Additionally, I have heard great things about this course from my friends that have taken it in the past. I’m excited to get a better understanding of how drugs affect society and to become a more informed citizen.  As of right now, I do not really have a strong opinion supporting either side of the legalization of drugs and the decriminalization of drugs. I think that after this course, I will be able to form a better supported opinion on the legalization of drugs and the ways in which I believe drug related issues should be handled in the criminal justice system.