March 24, 2026
Trine University’s Cold Case Unit hosted its second annual Justice Unlocked: Women in Criminal Justice Symposium on March 10 in the Mark and Sarah Music/Ruoff Mortgage Esports Arena.
This event featured three women working on the front lines of criminal justice: attorney Stephanie Hamilton, Indiana State Trooper and Trine alumna Taylor Murdock and Kokomo Police Officer Bailey Johnson.
The goal, said faculty advisor Erica Hutton, Ph.D., was for students to gain a deeper understanding of the diverse roles women play in shaping the criminal justice system.
Unique challenges
Faith Owen, a criminal justice major from Garrett, Indiana, said she most enjoyed having the opportunity to ask each of the professionals about their careers.
“I learned a lot more information about different areas in the criminal justice system, including the judicial process and law enforcement,” she said. “The professionals stressed the importance of maintaining integrity, confidence and grit as a female working in the criminal justice system. Furthermore, I learned that it is vital to maintain a healthy work-home balance when I obtain a career in crime analysis.”
Kathryn Waters, a psychology major from Auburn, Indiana, plans to become an attorney and said hearing from Hamilton will help her prepare for law school.
“She was incredibly knowledgeable. I enjoyed learning that you can transition to a prosecutor even if you're a defense attorney originally and the opposite is true as well,” she said.
“This event showed me how fluid criminal justice jobs can be. I also learned that times are changing for women in the criminal justice field.”
Miranda Marteen, a psychology major from Angola, Indiana, said her favorite moment from the event was chatting afterward and getting perspective.
“I graduate at the end of this semester,” she shared. “Talking to the women on the panel gave me inspiration and hope that I can make it in the criminal justice world and that my voice and experience matters.”
Trine University has named longtime assistant vice president for athletics and athletic director Matt Land as its new vice president for advancement as part of the transition to the upcoming presidency of Tony Kline, Ph.D.
The Trine University Theatre production of “Midsummer/Jersey,” a hilarious high-octane re-telling of Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” set on the boardwalk of a seaside town in modern-day New Jersey, opens at 7 p.m. Thursday on the stage of the Ryan Concert Hall in the T. Furth Center for Performing Arts.
Laci Roy, a Trine University sophomore from Ligonier, Indiana, majoring in biology, was one of 28 first-generation Indiana college students named as a “Realizing the Dream” recipient by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI).