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Two UTampa graduating seniors, Paige Rockwood and Brigette Rosenberg, are the first from the University to attain Law Enforcement Analyst Foundational certification.

The certification from the International Association of Crime Analysts will provide a foundation for their future careers in crime analysis.

The IACA allows UTampa students who complete a minor in environmental criminology and crime analysis to sit for the LEAF certification exam. The minor, which consists of five courses, was introduced in 2025.

“This partnership (with IACA) strengthens the applied focus of the ECCA minor and provides our students with a meaningful professional credential as they enter the job market,” said Tim Hart, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice.

UTampa is only the second university in the country to offer the LEAF test for its minors.

Rockwood said she wanted to complete the minor because it develops a varied skillset. Her favorite course in the program was crime science, where she learned about crime and prevention through environmental design, cybercrime and architecture. The class also explored biology, psychology and sociology, she said.

“It tied in everything, and it was interesting in that it encompassed the entire field, Rockwood said.

Rosenberg said the crime science class was likely her favorite course she’s taken at UTampa overall.

“We looked at the criminal justice system and criminology from a completely different point of view than we have in all of my other classes,” she said. “I learned a lot of hard skills through this minor that I’ll be able to apply directly into my career.”

Rockwood said her minor coursework influenced her career focus. As she graduates this week, she is hoping to work where she can help to map crimes and find patterns.

“I would highly recommend the minor for anyone in the crim field that does not want to be a police officer or a lawyer, because I feel like it opens a new door,” Rockwood said, noting how she understands GIS and data systems, thanks to her coursework.

Following commencement, Rosenberg will attend Northeastern University for graduate school. In the future, she hopes to work in criminology at the federal level.