Graduate student Sabrina Lounsbury is an advocate for justice in more ways than one. As an undergraduate student, she interned at the Innocence Project and at the New York State Senate, and at the time of this interview, Lounsbury had just donated blood, which she’s done with her father since she was sixteen years old. “Only 10% of people donate,” she said. “Can you imagine that? This was my 100th time.”
Lounsbury first came to New York from California to study at Hofstra University, where she initially planned to study journalism. But after taking an introductory class in criminology, she fell in love with criminal justice and upon graduating, she decided to pursue her master’s degree at John Jay in Protection Management with a specialty in Emergency Management. “In a place like New York, emergency management is always important,” she said. “You always need someone to respond.”
Lounsbury is particularly interested in security against terrorist attacks and received an advanced certificate for completing an anti-terrorism officer course this summer. She is excited to enter a field that she sees as rapidly growing. “People who are in security always want to know how to build and make assets safe from attack,” she said.
As a student at John Jay, she’s held two research internships that are equipping her with the knowledge she needs to excel. As part of her first internship, she helped compile data for the Active Shooter Attack Dynamics (ASAD) study, which gathers information on terrorist attacks across the world in order to influence the future construction of buildings. When the study is published later this year, Lounsbury will be included as a co-author of the piece, making it her first publication in a private security magazine, and an invaluable opportunity for her to showcase her work. “This is data that will be referenced by the Department of Homeland Security,” Lounsbury said.
Now, Lounsbury is working with Dr. Charles Nemeth, professor and chair of the Department of Security, Fire, and Emergency Management, to help update a version of his landmark book Private Security and the Investigate Process. Through her meticulous research and editing, she is gaining unparalleled insight into the security field.
These leadership roles are paying off in Lounsbury’s job search. She is eager to jump into her career, which is why she is taking six courses a semester and plans to graduate by December of this year. She has just passed the Secret Service entrance exam, and she is at various stages of interviews for positions in the federal government and at private security firms.
She credits her professors and program at John Jay for setting her up for success. “It’s not easy to get into this field if you’re young,” she said. “But our professors always want to help and they forward us job offers if we’re interested. If it weren’t for some of my professors, I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have now.”