MANILA, Philippines —- Twenty-four-year-old Rhona Mae Amorado was taking up BS Secondary Education, Major in Religious and Values Education and Bachelor of Arts, Major in Psychology at De La Salle University when she got interested in Forensic Psychology.

“Sadly, I didn’t find a forensic psychology program in the Philippines. That’s when I decided I wanted to go abroad so I could pursue my graduate degree in this field.”

The plan was to go to Australia but right before she graduated, her mother got a job in the United Nations.

“We decided that I might as well join my mom in New York. Luckily, one of the best known schools for Forensic Psychology is in Manhattan.”
Today Rhona is taking up Forensic Psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

We had an interview on e-mail:

What’s school like for you now?

I have only one class this semester, and I’ll be receiving my Master’s this May. My internship keeps me busy and I love it. It’s an honor to work with Federal officers, and I’m just happy doing what I love to do—providing individual counseling to offenders and assisting them with their adjustment in society.

What do you love most about school?

Honestly, everything. I’m fulfilling my dream of becoming a forensic psychologist. This semester and the one before are the best moments in my life thus far.

Why the last two semesters?

Last semester, I was able to register in the two most difficult classes to get into—Profiling Methodology and Crime Scene Analysis. I had the honor of having Dr. Gabrielle Salfati as my professor in the profiling methodology class. She’s a respected international expert in offender profiling and homicide. I learned so much. Because of that class I was able to attend a conference in offender profiling, which was attended by law enforcement officers such as Robert Keppel whom I shook hands with. That experience was just mind-blowing!

What was your Crime Scene Analysis class like?
It’s the highlight of my whole school experience. What made it special was that, this is part of the joint research project on violent behavior of the Behavioral Science Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (yes … the FBI) and John Jay College.

We worked on real cases, mostly solved, and we had access to everything—crime scene photos, police reports, autopsy reports, suspect interviews, and lab tests.

Like “CSI?”

It was kind of like “CSI,” but only on paper. This class really pushed me to the limits. It was like doing a thesis—from research proposal, to data gathering, to the defense, in four and a half months. But everything paid off. My group mates and I presented our research before Dr. Anthony J. Pinizzotto of the BSU, and received a nice certificate from the FBI. Considering that it’s my dream to one day work in the FBI, it was really an awesome experience.

What’s a typical day like for you?

Every day is different but typically, I wake up at 6 a.m., leave the apartment at 7:45 a.m., ride the subway for an hour and 15 minutes, get off at Brooklyn and walk a few blocks to work. Most days I just meet with a few offenders, do individual sessions with them, and then write up the report. I also sometimes prepare reports we would use in court, when there’s a violation hearing, or coordinate with treatment providers and make sure that our offenders are on track with their progress. Then I leave work at around 7:30 p.m., back to the subway and get off at 52nd St-Lincoln, Queens, and walk a few blocks home.

What is your internship like?

I started my internship with US Probation last December. It’s a very exciting, challenging and fulfilling job. I regularly meet with offenders with substance and/or alcohol abuse problems. Some of them are difficult, others are not. Others report to the office high or drunk. I also collect urine samples for drug testing. I do this only for females, of course. That I really did not expect at all! But you get used to it. Besides, I wear gloves.

Occasionally, we go to court for a violation hearing. One of my most memorable court experiences ever was when an offender lashed out at the judge and court marshalls rushed to the court room and pinned him down on the floor to “calm” him down. That’s like something I see only on TV! I also did field surveillance twice. We have all types of offenders, from drug dealers to robbers to sex offenders to members of organized crime. Next week will be my last week there, and I’m genuinely going to miss that place.

How do you relax on weekends?

I do the laundry. Seriously, once a month, my mom and I go to trips out of state. A few weeks ago we were in Philadelphia. This weekend, we’re going to Houston, Texas. I hang out with friends from Jersey—all Pinoys, of course. Other times I just stay home and literally do nothing. I mean, everything is just so fast-paced here, and once you hit the weekend all you want to do is sleep. My mom and I don’t go that much to Manhattan anymore. We’ve lived there for a year before we moved to Queens, so we’ve pretty much explored the area.

What do you miss about Manila?

Oh, everything! I miss eating isaw and pares, riding the jeep, and going to the malls. Of course I miss my family, friends, and my dog. I miss all the celebrations, feasts and traditions, like Christmas and Holy Week.

What are your plans?

I’m job hunting, and hopefully in a few weeks or months I’ll get a good offer. Even if part of me really wants to go back home, I definitely want to gain experience here, at least for a few years. I’m also hoping that Nick, my boyfriend, will be here in two years. He’s finishing up his Nursing degree. It’s been difficult because we haven’t seen each other for a year and a half straight. So hopefully he’ll be here soon. Lastly, I’m aiming to obtain my Doctorate in Forensic or Clinical Psychology sometime soon... when I have the money.