Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project

Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project

SUNY Broome alumna Jennifer O’Hare has long been fascinated by the criminal mind. Through the years, students in her 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School have studied both mental illness and crime as depicted in literature, and O’Hare looked into ways to expand their experience and her own knowledge of the topic.

When a SUNY Broome student visited her class to discuss his college experience, he casually mentioned taking a forensic psychology course – and O’Hare finally found an avenue for her curiosity.

“Prompted by this new information, I immediately registered for the class and it was by far one of the best academic and professional experiences of my educational career,” she said.

Not only did Professor Katrina Kemmery’s course inspire O’Hare, it also gave her students the chance to work on a project in collaboration with SUNY Broome.

Under Professor Kemmery’s guidance, O’Hare directed her students to create evidence bags that would help SUNY Broome students determine the identity of a victim in the forensic psychology class. O’Hare’s students also created a unique backstory for the victim, the crime, the circumstances, the motive and the identity of the killer, which were shared with the SUNY Broome class.

Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project

Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project

Kemmery then spent a day with O’Hare’s Binghamton High School students, explaining the field of forensic psychology, related careers, criminal profiling and the role of mental illness in crime. She also gave students an invitation – to visit her SUNY Broome class and work alongside college students on a project.

A handful of Binghamton High School seniors took her up on the offer, visiting the SUNY Broome class in late November.

“To create something that would be used in a college course and then to be invited into the course to see how their work was received was such a rewarding experience for them,” O’Hare said.

Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project

Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project

Solving crimes turns out to be a rather complex matter, students found, but fascinating nonetheless.

“We had to figure out what evidence linked to the crime,” explained Brian Gloskey, one of the Binghamton High School students who participated in the SUNY Broome class.

Brian and his college partner solved several cases, but eventually the team was stumped, he said. Still, he found the exercise and the field itself fascinating, although he plans to head to Cayuga Community College to study video and film production.

“There is so much extensive research going into forensics,” reflected Chloe Milbauer, a Binghamton High School classmate who plans to study music at SUNY Broome. “I enjoyed doing it as a class and as individual work. Broome was an inviting experience.”

Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project

Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project

O’Hare and her students have been invited back for the spring semester, and they look forward to again working with SUNY Broome.

“The class itself was so very warm and inviting, and it was a really incredible experience,” Chloe said.

Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project

Students in a 12th grade English class at Binghamton High School work with SUNY Broome students on a forensic psychology class project