Name: Kate Hazen
Where do you hail from?
I grew up in Southampton, Massachusetts, a small town of 5,000 in western Massachusetts near Springfield. I went to Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, about 20 miles north of Boston. When I go home, I split my time between western and eastern Massachusetts. I feel most at home when I can smell the ocean.
What is it they say you do?
Depending on whom you ask, you will get very different interpretations of what I do. I am a graduate student in the Law and Psychology Program at UNL and an evaluation graduate research assistant for the Nebraska Resource Project for Vulnerable Young Children. My dad will tell you that I work hard and am studying the law, with the hopes that I become a litigator. My mom will tell you very proudly that I study psychology and about my past research on bullying. My sisters might tell you I am getting a Ph.D. in law, or simply that I am in graduate school and do not really know. My partner, Dave, will get the closest and tell you that I want to better understand the interaction between law and society.
What is your passion/what you are drawn to/what motivates you/where do you hope to be in five years?
I have a strong sense of justice and believe the best way to improve any system is from within. I am driven to improve the relationship between the legal system, specifically the criminal justice system and society through social psychology. I really enjoy program evaluation and creating a bridge between psychological study and the real world. In five years, I hope to have completed my doctorate and be working in a policy setting that uses my legal and psychological training to improve the way people interact with the legal system, especially the relationship between civilians and the criminal justice system.
Family life/hobbies /community involvement:
I live with my partner, Dave, and our two dogs, Milo and Jade. We love to road trip, driving back east every chance we get, and going on long walks and hikes with the dogs. We also go apple picking and support local sports teams. As a graduate student, I spend most of my time in class, working on research, or here at the CCFL working on the Nebraska Resource Project for Vulnerable Young Children. I relax by running, listening to audio books, baking, and watching TV and movies.
The quotation I live my life by is......
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you imagined.”--David Henry Thoreau