Five Northwestern College Students Win Awards at American Criminal Justice Association’s Collegiate Regional Conference

[Bridgeview, IL] – Five Northwestern College students won awards this past weekend at the American Criminal Justice Association Lambda Alpha Epsilon Region 6 Conference which was held at the College’s Bridgeview Campus. Awards were won in both the physical and written competitions which 128 students from 16 schools and 6 states participated in over the three day event.  Northwestern College’s award winning students include Jorge Ruvalcaba, Ebony Robersion, Liliana Madrigal, Clashawn Thurman and Aurora Galvan. 
The competitions are designed to test both the knowledge and skills of criminal justice students as well as law enforcement professionals via events involving firearms, physical agility, crime scene investigations, and written competitions in five disciplines. The competition is divided into three divisions: Professional, Upper and Lower.  Students compete in one of two divisions based on their academic level, including the Upper Division (juniors and seniors) and the Lower Division (freshmen and sophomores). Professionals are considered anyone who is working on an advanced degree, has an advanced degree or who works or has worked in a law enforcement position.
In the Physical Agility competition, Jorge Ruvalcaba won First Place in the Male 26-35 division; Ebony Robersion was awarded Second Place in the Female 26-35 division; and finally, Liliana Madrigal won Third Place in the Female Under 25 division.  
The Written Competition was administered in five academic disciplines: Police Operations, Criminal Law, Corrections, Juvenile Justice, and Lambda Alpha Epsilon history.  Two of Northwestern College’s Criminal Justice students received awards in the Police Administration discipline, including Clashawn Thurman for the Lower Division (freshman and sophomores) and Aurora Galvan in the Upper Division (juniors and seniors). In total, 343 written tests were administered in all five disciplines over the three day conference. 
Northwestern College served as this year’s hosts for the Regional Conference, which prevented many of the students from being able to compete.  Instead, many assisted as volunteers for the various competitions. They proctored tests, timed events, and served as guides for participants to the various event locales. Further, as some of Northwestern College’s students had designed some of the competitions, such as Physical Agility, their intricate knowledge of the obstacle course prevented them from being able to compete.
In addition to Northwestern College, some of the schools that competed were Herzing College, Kenosha, WI; Waukesha County Technical College, Pewaukee, WI; Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL; Central Lakes College, Brainerd, MN; Trine University, Angola, IN; and Indiana University South Bend, South Bend, IN.  
About Northwestern College: Northwestern College (NC) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, http://www.ncahlc.org.  The college offers focused career-oriented associate degree and certificate programs with flexible schedules and a supportive faculty. Day, evening, weekend, online classes and online programs are available with campuses in Chicago and Bridgeview, in addition to NC Online. More information can be found at www.northwesterncollege.edu or by calling toll-free (888) 205-2283.