Criminology graduate combines justice, service and global learning

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.— When Christina Luisa Hughes first arrived at Penn State, she thought forensic science would be her field of choice. However, she said, she soon discovered her interests were best applied to criminology.

“Since I was five years old, I’ve been watching shows like “Scooby Doo,” “Criminal Minds” and “The Mentalist,” wanting to be just like them — catching the bad guys,” said the Westchester, New York, resident.

On May 9, Hughes crossed the stage at the College of the Liberal Arts’ spring 2026 commencement ceremony, ending her undergraduate career at Penn State. However, she isn’t quite finished, as this fall she’ll continue her graduate studies through Penn State World Campus, earning a master's degree in homeland security, counterterrorism option.

In addition to her criminology major, Hughes picked up minors in human development and family studies (HDFS) and sociology, which emerged through classes taken her first and second year that piqued her interest in understanding individuals in their environments, family systems and social structures.

Hughes also minored in addictions and recovery, designed to prepare its students to support individuals with substance use disorders. Hughes found the coursework extremely valuable, due to her past struggle with a vaping addiction. As of today, she’s proudly in recovery.

“I love reading people — adding my minors helped me do just that,” she said.

A first-generation student, Hughes made the most of her time at the University by joining many organizations, serving her peers in and out of the classroom and studying abroad several times.

“Before becoming a member of Tri-Alpha, I didn’t outwardly associate myself with that demographic,” Hughes said. “Not only has this organization added to the support I have received from my family and staff within the college, but it has made me proudly assume my title as a first-generation student.”

Meanwhile, as a Liberal Arts peer adviser, Hughes has spent the past two years helping her fellow students adjust to and navigate college life, select diverse and eye-opening courses, and find and explore opportunities within the University and local communities.

“After I became a peer adviser, I fell in love with Penn State — and my college experience as a whole,” Hughes said. “Not only was I able to guide others to success, but I had a stronger sense of the resources available to me.”

Studying abroad has been a constant source of inspiration for Hughes. In the spring of 2024, she traveled to Curaçao for the Liberal Arts embedded program, CRIM 425: Organized Crime. The trip allowed her to immerse herself in Curaçaoan culture while applying material learned throughout the semester to effectively communicate with members of the U.S. Air Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the University of Curaçao.

Hughes also had the opportunity to participate in the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Food and Agroforestry Systems in Costa Rica embedded program through the INTAF 511 course. There, she learned about the design of Costa Rica’s agroforestry systems, visited their production farms and explored the country’s interesting cultural and ecological sites.

Hughes also visited Amsterdam through the CRIMJ 499: Foreign Studies embedded program last spring, enhancing her knowledge of the criminal and social justice system in the Netherlands, and studied in Portugal through the Maymester course SOC5: Social Problems in Lisbon. On both trips, Hughes had the opportunity to learn about how policies and education affect the public in those countries, and what addiction and recovery might look like there.

Hughes, a longtime caddy at Quaker Ridge Golf Course in Scarsdale, New York, has been able to attend Penn State tuition-free thanks to the Western Golf Association Evans Scholarship, given to caddies who demonstrate outstanding character, a strong caddie record and a financial need. The scholarship also provided her and other recipients with on-campus housing.

In addition to the scholarship, Hughes credited the Liberal Arts’ Career Enrichment Network with providing her ample support.

“The Career Enrichment Network has opened my eyes to many opportunities that have empowered me to explore and engage in my college career through career paths, study abroad opportunities, funding and resume building,” she said.

Last year, Hughes became a Public Humanities Fellow, a Humanities Institute program for undergraduate and graduate students that allows them to apply humanities ideas through media creation, community partnerships and social justice projects. For her capstone project, she worked with three college students who had been through addiction and were working through the process of recovery.

Hughes also contributed to three community projects with the Restorative Justice Initiative, a group of Penn State students looking to empower and support system-impacted, currently and formerly incarcerated individuals through education and civic engagement. Her contributions included editing audio and video of interviews of previously incarcerated college students for an episode of the College of Education’s “Education Matters” podcast.

Programs like the Public Humanities Fellowship and Restorative Justice Initiative have helped Hughes with communicating with other people, she said, especially in her experience with those who have different perspectives or might not be as open-minded.

With her Penn State career coming to a close soon, Hughes said she is looking forward, with plans to pursue a career with the FBI, DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) or CIA, ideally with a focus on combating drug trafficking.

“Growing up in New York, I have seen many people suffer with addiction,” she said. “It has opened my eyes to a variety of different realities. I want to help make people’s worlds better.”