Like most students, Jenna Keach wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do after graduating from Husson University. She was studying criminal justice, but hadn’t narrowed down the options for her degree until attending the annual Legal Studies Career Fair during her final year when something finally caught her interest.
Keach is now a probation support technician with the Federal Probation and Parole office for the United States Probation and Pretrial, District of Maine.
“I actually didn’t know a whole lot about probation until I found them at the career fair last year, a job opening became available and I’ve been doing it ever since,” said Keach.
Keach returned to Husson this fall as a recruiter for the organization, just months after her May 2024 graduation with a bachelors in criminal justice, bachelors in psychology and a masters in criminal justice administration.
Keach said that the skills she learned from Husson have prepared her for her current job. Capstone classes, where students could apply the skills they were learning in real world situations, were particularly helpful. Another class that stuck out to her was report writing and testifying where students would watch a police interaction and have to write a report on it.
“In my position I have to do a lot of writing, so learning the correct way to write has helped me a ton,” said Keach.
During her time at Husson, Keach helped to organize the career fair alongside John Michaud, director of the School of Legal Studies. Returning to Husson University to take part in the 15th Annual Legal Studies Career Fair as a vendor was a special homecoming for her.
Keach’s job as a probation support technician means that she works alongside probation officers, keeping in contact with police stations in the towns where people on probation are residing. She then communicates relevant information to the parole officers. She also supports their work through other tasks such as filing, scheduling appointments and preparing reports.
“It’s a lot of attaining materials for officers so they can continue to do their jobs,” said Keach.
Keach also has her own caseload of probationers that are on low intensity supervision and require her attention.
She anticipates staying with probation and would like to move up to probation officer in the next three to five years. Keach wants to learn more about the judicial branch and everything that probation and pretrial does because she feels she has so much more to learn.
“I didn’t know much coming into this and everyday there is still more that I don’t know and more to learn but I have coworkers that have been doing this for 10 to 15 years and they still don’t know everything, so it’s a constant learning environment,” said Keach.
Keach advises current and future students to take advantage of internships, career fairs, and to build connections with professors and peers.
“If even the smallest thing interests you, pursue it, opportunities are everywhere,” said Keach.