Ryan Corbin

Quick Facts

Program: B.S. in Criminal Justice
Concentration: Sociology
Graduation Year: 2014
Current Job Title: Juvenile Corrections Officer
Hometown: Sutter, CA
Current City: Yuba City, CA

Life at CBU

Why did you choose your major?
I always had an interest in the psychological side of criminal justice and wanted to study what caused people to make criminal choices. As I progressed in the study of criminal justice, I found many people in the criminal justice system experienced traumatic experiences, which led me to focus more on rehabilitation, ultimately leading to a career in juvenile corrections.

What did you like about being in this program at CBU?
My favorite part of the criminal justice program was the variety of courses we were able to take. The program consisted of legal studies, practical studies, psychological studies and many special interest courses. There was never a day in class where I felt I wasn’t learning something new or interesting.

What did you think about your professors?
Each staff member at CBU genuinely cares about the students and were willing to sacrifice more than enough of their time to help students excel and grow. I made great connections with many of my professors and felt very privileged to be able to have such close bonds with them. I think that is very unique to the CBU community.

Did you complete an internship?
I did not do an internship, I was blessed to be able to begin work as a full-time staff member at a juvenile corrections facility.

Did you participate in anything else at CBU?
I began CBU as an athlete on the wresting team and did so for a year. After my year with the wrestling team I pursued theater. Through the theater department, I began helping the nursing department as a standardized patient, allowing them to practice with actors. I was blessed enough to receive a scholarship for theater and loved my experiences there. I also participated in a United States Project and went to Alaska to serve the communities of Nome and Anchorage. I was an executive member of the Criminal Justice Club and was a member of Sigma Tau Delta. Finally, following my senior year, I participated in the Teach Abroad Program where I taught English in China for one year.  

How did you grow (spiritually, socially, and educationally) while in this program at CBU?
CBU brought a lot of change for me personally. Coming into CBU I was spiritually fulfilled, yet I learned there was still a lot of growing to be done. CBU came with many unique experiences for God to use me in ways I did not know He would. I found myself in ruts and mountains during my time in school and having the foundation of Christ in my life was paramount. Socially I made many friends and developed many professional connections. The friendships I formed at CBU have persisted to this day and provide support. Educationally is where I grew the most at CBU.  In high school I was an alright student, maintaining a 3.2 GPA. Once I began my studies at CBU I began to work hard to soak in the information provided. I took in as much as I could and it paid off. I graduated Sigma Tau Delta and magna cum laude, which helped me to receive an academic excellence scholarship in the master’s program I am attending.

Did your major help you figure out your purpose?
I went into criminal justice with the intention of helping people. Initially I believed I was going to be helping people by preventing the “bad guys” from being on the street. As I learned more about the intricacies of sociology and criminal justice, I began to realize many of the “bad guys” on the street were the ones in need of help. Once I began my career as a juvenile corrections officer, I was able to begin interacting with the incarcerated population and learning about the real-life struggles many of the individuals in the system face. This led me to pursue a career in counseling so I may hopefully help others from making the decisions that led them to be incarcerated. I also hope to help those who have already faced incarceration with the skills they need to not be part of the reoffender population.

Life after CBU

What have you done since graduating?
Since graduating from CBU my life has exploded with many unique experiences that I had never dreamed I would achieve. I went to China for a year to teach, and in turn learned a lot about myself. Once I returned to the United States I quickly began working as a juvenile corrections officer. I was promoted quickly from level 1 to level 2 and I am currently facing a promotion to an officer-in-charge position. I just recently began to pursue my graduate studies at Regent University in counseling.

How has your major and time at CBU prepared you for your life and career after college?
The education I received at CBU is the cornerstone of my career path. Without having pursued criminal justice and sociology at CBU, I would have never begun the journey into counseling. I feel my life path began to converge with God’s plan for my life while I was at CBU. It prepared me for my career by not only introducing the basic information regarding law enforcement, but it went into the psychological, social and biological aspects of criminality. Studying the law, rights of the accused, and purpose of incarceration have set me above my fellow peers in my job, and has given me a leg up in the requirements of the job. 

Is there anything you learned at CBU that you still use in your professional life today?
There are many things that I still use in my professional life today. Many of the aspects of the Institutions class mirror my daily activities. Understanding the court system allows me to have insight into where the youth I work with are in the process, which gives me an advantage in understanding their reactions to their sentencing. Many of the sociological and psychological aspects of criminality are also very useful, in that they help to understand where my clients are coming from. I also took a course about gangs which was very useful as many of the offenders in my population are gang members. 

How are you making a difference in the world?
As a juvenile corrections officer I am a parent, counselor, teacher, psychologist, doctor, pharmacist, physical trainer and taxi driver, among other things. A juvenile corrections officer wears many hats and this is because we care for the youth we receive in our care. I make a difference in helping those who usually are not receiving the care they need at home. I get to tell the youth who has never been praised, “Good job.” Seeing someone who has never felt true human kindness react to positive praise is amazing. In my work I have received the nickname “Brother Corbin” due to the fact that I am an outspoken Christian. Whenever a youth has a religious question they come to me because they know I can provide the insight they are looking for. Being able to provide for those who are hurting makes a difference in the world. Now, on the other hand, some of the youth I work with do receive the care they need, but have given in to their own evil ways. Some of these individuals are a danger to society and so I also help the world be keeping them from hurting others.

Would you recommend CBU to others?
Always. CBU was an amazing experience for me. I loved every second of the four years I was there. I always refer to going to CBU as “going home.” The faculty are wonderful and intelligent, the staff overall are friendly and caring, and the friends you make along the way will stick with you for a lifetime. CBU has the best food, a beautiful campus, a wonderful community, and its focus on being biblically rooted, globally minded, educationally sound and diverse sets it apart from your regular four-year institution.