Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

1.  Where are you doing your mentorship
• I  am completing my mentorship at the Pomona Police Station, with the Forensics Unit.
2. Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?
• My mentor is a Crime Scene Investigator, her name is Sheri Orellana. She constitutes as an expert because she has almost 20 years of experience working as a CSI. She also teaches several disciplines related to crime scene investigation, has served on several committees, oversees several forensic conferences, and has completed several certifications to deem her an expert in several areas of crime scene investigation.
3. How many  hours have you done during the school year? (Summer Mentorship Hours and Mentorship Hours should be reflected separately in your Senior Project Hours log located on the right hand side of your blog).
• I have completed 26 hours of mentorship over the school year, as well as 10 hours of mentorship over the summer.
4. Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.
• I have completed several wonderful things over the course of my mentorship this year. I was exposed to the legal side of forensics by visiting the Pomona courthouse with my mentors partner. This gave the opportunity to speak to all the different people that work in a courtroom, including a judge. I learned how to fingerprint successfully with the help of my mentor.I've gone through several case files, examining the forensic notes, and asking questions when needed, I've learned how to use several advanced settings on my professional camera, as well as receiving several lectures from my mentor about different parts of crime scene investigation. The most recent thing I have done was learn how process a crime scene start to finish, and so much more. Personally I still get very nervous around my mentor, and this is mostly in part due to the fact that by allowing me to mentor under her she is doing me a really huge favor. I'm very grateful for all the opportunities she has provided me, as well as allowing me to mentor under her. In the grand scheme of things, we work very well together, and she provides allot of insight knowledge that helps me understand forensics more than doing the research on my own. I plan to complete the remaining hours over the school year by going at least once a week, as well as over any vacations, or breaks in the school year we may have. In the future my mentor is going to continue teaching me all the disciplines of crime scene investigation. Even a field trip to the morgue (a.k.a. the coroners office) is up in the air, which I am very excited for. Even if I complete the required hours, I plan to continue completing my mentorship over the school year, simply because this is a wonderful opportunity, and experience.