TACKLING THE TABOO
KAYLEE NEURA’S STUDENT EXPERIENCE WITH THE WAYNE COUNTY CORONER’s OFFICE For many, the thought of stumbling onto an active crime scene or happening across a deceased person’s remains is enough in itself to make their stomachs churn, let alone willingly making an entire career out of the practice. However, those who choose to work in the fields of forensic science and crime scene investigation play a crucial role in solving ongoing and cold case investigations, as well as providing comfort to grieving families. Though the work requires an absence of the squeamish gene, it remains no less dignified or important. For these reasons, Tiffin University’s Kaylee Neura has found a love for the profession and remains grateful to her professors for facilitating the experiential learning prospect that allowed her to discover this.
its soccer program, which she participated in for all of her four years on campus, she soon found there was much more to life as a Dragon than athletics. “I really felt like I’d found a home,” said Kaylee. “I’ve always thrived in small academic settings, so TU was the perfect fit in that regard. Even more than that though, the community is so close-knit. Your friends and mentors really care about you – they know your name, your story. I wouldn’t get that at a larger state school. Plus, for how small a place it is, I feel there is no shortage of opportunities and resources available to students." In Kaylee’s eyes, the education she received from TU was incredible, and she applauds her instructors for their commitment to what she calls “hands-on learning.”
Originally from Medina, Ohio, Kaylee completed her Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree in criminalistics in May of 2022 and now works at the Wayne County, Ohio Coroner's Office, a job that actually began during her final year at Tiffin. She hopes to continue this work full-time as she gains more industry experience. "I have TU - specifically Dr. Lacy Ellis and Dr. Pete Piraino - to thank for helping me get my foot in the door," she remembered. "It's actually pretty funny how it all ended up playing out." It is a requirement that prior to graduation, all TU students must complete an internship to gain exposure to the real world pertaining to their chosen majors. Though Kaylee had already done this by working with the security team at Ohio's Cedar Point Amusement Park, she was soon offered another chance to break into her field through a much different avenue.
“That definitely separates us from the pack,” she remarked. “You’re not just hearing about things secondhand through endless lectures; you’re consistently going into the field and learning by doing. I remember being taught about how explosives are often used in illegal activities for a forensic science course. Dr. Schupp actually brought us to a real bomb squad’s training grounds and some explosives experts showed us how to safely make and detonate our own, in order for us to study the impact they can have.” According to Kaylee, though TU did nothing but nurture the passion, her interest in what many shy away from began long before her college journey.
"It all started as a joke," Kaylee remembered. "For my senior seminar class, I had to sit for a mock job interview with several of my professors. At one point, Dr. Ellis asked whether I could handle myself around decedents or more gruesome crime scenes. I must have sounded pretty confident in my answer - I told them I wasn't squeamish at all, that I'd always been fascinated by the human anatomy. We laughed about it in the moment, but after all was said and done, she pulled me aside and said she had a connection with the Wayne County Coroner. She told me that if I was interested in an additional shadowing opportunity, she would get it arranged. The rest is history."
“I blame ‘Law and Order’, to be honest,” she said with a laugh. “Yes, there’s always been a morbid curiosity when it comes to the study of ballistics or how bodies decay, but more than that, I always felt the investigators on the shows I watched as a teenager were doing everyone a huge favor by engaging in work nobody else wanted to touch, and it’s such important work, too. Without death scene analysts and forensic scientists, thousands of crimes would go unsolved, murderers would go free and leave surviving family members without closure. That’s really where my passion comes from – I want to help others.”
Though Kaylee was initially drawn to TU’s campus because of
Kaylee's ultimate career goal is to become a certified medicolegal
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