Tyler Pitts
April 8, 2015
Tyler Pitts
Colleges: Liberal Arts and Honors College
Majors: Law and Society
Minor: African-American Studies, Forensic Science
Certificate: Spanish
Why did you choose Purdue?
I honestly needed a change of scenery. I attended IUPUI my freshman year and was bored. I am from Indianapolis so being Downtown was nothing new. I went to school, went to work, and went home. It felt like I was still in high school so I decided to come up here to experience college.
What is your passion and why do you do what you do?
I would say my passion is helping others. It is always something that I felt came very natural to me and for that reason I decided to be a police officer. I get to protect my community and I am really looking forward to it!
Why did you choose to graduate with Honors? What was the main benefit for you?
I graduated with Honors from high school, too. I have always gone the extra mile with my school work. For me, school just comes really easy. It is hard work but at the end of the day, I am proud of myself for doing it all. I know I can, it is just a matter of putting in the work.
Explain your thesis/scholarly project.
I researched the effects of age differences on domestic violence in intimate partner relationships. How do respondents react to a domestic violence situation in which a 20 year old female is being physically abused by her 30 year old boyfriend versus if he was 21?
How did you get into this research?
Domestic violence has always interested me. It is something I have first-hand experience with so I decided to learn more about it. My Senior Project in high school was on child abuse and now I have extended my research to intimate partner relationships. I think it is something that everyone should be aware of.
What were some of the highlights during your college career?
I was recently selected as the 2015 Outstanding Senior in African-American Studies. I am also a member of several honor societies one of which is the National Society of Collegiate Scholars for which I had to be in the top 15% of my class to be inducted.
What was your favorite Honors course and why?
Oddly enough, it is the HONR 299 course I am taking this semester. It is called Death and Dying. I know it sounds a bit morbid and dreary but death has always been something that has interested me. Before I switched my major to Law & Society here at Purdue, I was a Forensic Biology major at IUPUI. I wanted to be a Forensic Pathologist and do autopsies on dead bodies! I still kept a Forensics minor just in case I ever got the opportunity to work with a cadaver.
Tell us about a few of your extra-curricular activities that played significant roles during your time at Purdue.
Honestly, the only extra-curricular activities I have participated in are usually volunteer opportunities for my clubs. It makes me feel happy when I can go out and give back to people. I had to stop volunteering at Natalie’s Second Chance because it made me sad that I could not take all the dogs home so I just stuck to volunteering at events that involved people. I worked Science Exploration Day last spring for Golden Key and I really enjoyed that. I was happy I could share an educational experience with the kids that came to look at all the hands-on experiments.
What’s next after graduation?
I was hired at the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Department so I will be attending the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in July. After that, I will officially be a Merit Deputy (police officer) for my home county! I am nervous and excited about the academy. I think it will be challenging but it will all benefit me in the end and then I will be able to do what I have always wanted which is serve and protect my fellow citizens.
