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Meet Ria Simmons from Norwich, a recent graduate from BSc Forensic Science (Sandwich) at NTU. Ria went on placement year at Change, Grow, Live, a social change charity and shared the impact these experiences have had on her career aspirations.

Ria reflects on what inspired her to study Forensic Science and what sparked up this passion:

I have always had a passion for forensics and science in general. Growing up, you could always catch me watching CSI, NCIS, or Criminal Minds! I studied chemistry, biology, and psychology A-levels at sixth form, which I felt were all relevant and useful when studying at uni, especially the chemistry. When I visited NTU on an open day, I felt at home and was excited to start. It was the crime scene house that really sold me! Forensic science is constantly changing and this is something you learn very early on. From advancements in technology to advancements in DNA, it is particularly important within forensic science to keep up to date with the field. I found webinars from The Chartered society of Forensic Sciences particularly helpful with keeping up to date with everything.

She describes her university experience as a mix of challenges and enjoyment:

I really loved the course! As with all courses, there were some difficult times with lots of stressful assignments, but because I had such a passion for forensics, I ended up enjoying a lot of the assignments that we had to complete. Some memorable moments for me was the fire crime scene in first year when we were able to watch the fire take place, complete a fire inspection afterwards, and even meet the Police fire dogs with their little shoes to protect their paws! I also thoroughly enjoyed the Court assessment in which we were asked to be an expert witness within a fake court environment. This was both very nerve wracking but also exciting.

When asked about a particular concept or theory from her studies that Ria found especially fascinating, she states:

My favourite module was definitely Ballistics and Firearms. This area of forensics has always intrigued me, but getting the chance to explore it practically was definitely one of the highlights of my university course. From test firing rifles, to safe handling of firearms, as well as the physics side of the ballistics, the module incorporated all sides of being a firearms examiner which I found particularly fascinating.

Ria states the support she received from NTU's academic was invaluable:

The lecturers and the lab technicians are the loveliest and most helpful people. No task is too big for them, especially whilst completing my final year research project. A few lecturers in particular went above and beyond for me when experiencing personal issues. Although it may just be little check ins, they went a long way in feeling cared for. My tutor was amazing even to just rant to! Especially in my final year when he knew we were very stressed, he supported us by just being there if we needed him.

The placement year was transformative:

The biggest influence for my career path has been doing my placement year. It was an area in which I never saw myself going into or even knew anything about. However, I ended up falling in love with the work and knew that I wanted to return after graduating.

Placement role at CGL as a police drugs liaison:

My placement role at CGL was a Police Drugs Liaison Officer. This meant that I worked a lot within the police stations seeing anyone who was arrested for a drug related offence or if they had been drug tested and tested positive for opiates or cocaine upon being arrested.

I also spent time with Norfolk and Suffolk police in different departments, including the forensic team.  This gave me an opportunity to discover if any of these departments were areas in which I would wish to pursue after graduation.

As with all placements, it was filled with both challenges and rewarding experiences. She notes:

There were many different challenges on my placement year. It is definitely a fast-paced work environment in which you never know what each day is going to look like.

Despite the unpredictability, Ria found reward in every day:

However challenging each day was, there was always a positive to each day as well. It is the most rewarding work I have undertaken, and that’s the reason I chose to pursue a job after graduating.

Ria shares her main responsibilities as a Police Drug Liaison Officer and how she applied it to her further studies:

In my role, I managed a caseload of service users who engaged in substance misuse. Additionally, all were involved in some form of the Criminal Justice system, such as being on probation or recently released from prison. For these service users I would coordinate their care, sort out their prescription of OST (opioid substitution treatments e.g. methadone) and any other queries or issues present in their life such as housing.

The modules which I found most applied to this line of work were the Law and Ethics module in second year and Drugs of Abuse module in final year. I chose to do one of my assignments form this module on heroin in which I had a lot of background knowledge from my placement. In this assignment I achieved a high first which I was really pleased with. Although this line of work is not directly related to forensic science, I regularly worked within the police stations, probation and the courts which are forensic work environments. Additionally, the transferable skills gained from my placement such as organisation, perseverance and attention to detail, boldness and empathy skills which I built upon when in uni, are all important when completing a forensic science degree. I joined the NTU Help in the Community society in my second year which involved attended soup runs for the homeless. This gave me good experience working with individuals which are homeless and vulnerable.

One standout memory from her placement involved supporting a service user in Crown Court, she recalls:

When in court, the Judge read my letter of support for the defendant. After a long hour of the judge discussing the case, he stated that he could see "a big change from the defendant" and stated that he noticed a different person in court today in comparison to the past.

The Judge praised me and said what a wonderful job we are doing for the client and that he can see a different man thanks to us at CGL.

Securing a placement is never a simple task, but with the invaluable support of her family, Ria has landed the opportunity she sought after:

I applied to so many placements during my second year however for various reason these did not work out. This included me emailing many different companies, however many forensic companies will not allow students in. Getting my placement in the end was thanks to people I knew.  I was able to create the role and personalise it how I wanted to. This was great as it meant I could get involved with the work and projects that interested me the most.

Returning to university after the placement year posed some challenges:

This can be a difficult time as most of my friends from uni had graduated, and I felt as though I would find it hard to get back to studying full time after having a full-time 9-5 job for the past year. However, after getting stuck into final year, I made many new friends and ended up enjoying my final year the most! The most exciting part of uni for me however, was seeing my friends and going on social nights out. I always used to think that this would be going clubbing but actually I ended up enjoying lots of other nights such as pub quizzes, spoken poetry nights and book club!

Ria’s advice to future students preparing for placements is to seize every opportunity:

The most important piece of advice is to make the most of your placement year! I really took advantage of being a placement student and having police vetting, however I made these opportunities by contacting and enquiring myself. Ask people from different departments if you can shadow or spend some time with them. You’ve only got a year, so really try and make sure you’ve enquired about every possible opportunity that interests you. Also, don’t limit yourself to placements within direct forensic workplaces, as many forensic companies do not accept students. Try to broaden your search to other industries, such as substance misuse services. Interestingly, I ended up working in more criminal justice environments than some placement students who were actually placed within the police!

We've asked Ria what's next:

I’m honestly not too sure! I’m really enjoying my job as a substance misuse worker in the prison at the moment—no two days are ever the same! I think as long as I’m doing a job that makes me happy and helps others in some way, that’s all I can ask for.

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